


Light Up My Soul

by zeerogue



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Baekchen - Freeform, Chenbaek - Freeform, exorcist AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 19:03:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 65,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10928076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeerogue/pseuds/zeerogue
Summary: Jongdae blames his fearlessness of ghosts for stumbling in on an excorcism being performed by one beauty, Byun Baekhyun, while on vacation. Now he's possessed by a lust demon who's more like an annoying puppy that won't leave and all the underworld seems to be knocking at his front door.





	1. Blood Does Not Fade Pink

**Light Up My Soul**

 

 

**1\. Blood Does Not Fade Pink**

  
  


Jongdae never could understand his uncle's definition of a family vacation. It was the summer of his second year in high school and his uncle had brought him to Yanggun of all places. Not that it wasn't a beautiful destination with many mountains of green lusciousness with quaint towns tucked between them, peaceful and serene really, but Jongdae had been looking forward to Zitao asking him on a trip to China for their summer break. Again. Not that he would have been able to go, but it would have been nice to at least spend the last week planning what they would do there with Zitao and Yixing and Kyungsoo instead of turning down the invitation with an unenthusiastic 'my uncle said we're going to the mountains'. Maybe he could have made the best of it, but vacation was supposed to be spent with other people or else he might as well have stayed home. It had only been a week, but Jongdae had seen his uncle only briefly at dinner every night, and with no one around to tell him how far he was allowed to venture, Jongdae quickly got bored. So, he started up a fight.

  
  


“We're not here to play, Jongdae. This is God's work, it is very important,” his uncle said when Jongdae suggested they go hiking the next day. “I can't simply go hiking for enjoyment. If you want to, I was planning to take a stroll up one of the mountains with some missionary work.”

  
  


“I don't want to help you with your missionary work, Uncle. You said this was a family vacation. We should do something as a family.”

  
  


“And spreading the word is not a family activity?”

  
  


Not the way Jongdae's uncle did it. Jongdae wasn't even sure which religion's word his uncle spread. He was a religion fanatic. Many hours were spent in his study back at home writing essays and Jongdae was almost sure his uncle was trying to write his own holy book. Jongdae remembered being forced into shaving his head and working at a temple for a summer in middle school. Then his uncle had tried to force him to go to a catholic school when he was looking into high schools. Jongdae hadn't minded a few of them, but if Kyungsoo and Zitao weren't going then neither was Jongdae. Before leaving for Yanggun, Jongdae had even noticed some Scientology papers settled next to the Christian bible his uncle had been into for the past year and a half.

  
  


“If you were just coming here for research, you could have let me go to China with Zitao,” Jongdae offered. “I'm just getting in your way like this.”

  
  


“Yes you are, but I would never let you go off with a harlot like that Huang boy.”

  
  


Harlot. It was that word that had made Jongdae blow up. A few choice words and a slap against his face had Jongdae rushing out of the house. He would just go hiking by himself, at night. Maybe he would get lost and then his uncle would actually appreciate all the sub-par cooking and cleaning he had been doing since elementary. The only cooking and cleaning that ever got done in his uncle's house back in their Chinatown apartment in Seoul.

  
  


It was early as far as nights went. Jongdae had managed to put some snacks and a couple water bottles in a backpack before rushing out of their rented room. The air was still warm and Jongdae could hear the cicadas loud and proud as he started up one of the trails. He had heard a few kids talking about it when he had ventured out for an ice cream bar to beat the heat when the AC in their room had stopped working two days into the trip. Supposedly a witch lived up here, a ghost witch haunting an old house painted pink. The children said the color of the paint was actually red, painted with the blood of the innocent young virgin girls the witch use to kill for her spells, faded with time, but Jongdae knew that faded blood turned brown, not pink. He hadn't for a second believed them, but it was interesting. Jongdae liked the paranormal and supernatural because he had never in his life been afraid of them. His uncle use to hit him for watching scary movies, even for reading Harry Potter saying he would have nightmares. Jongdae never had nightmares about those sorts of things, though. There were a lot more real things in life to have nightmares about.

  
  


It wasn't long before Jongdae came across the pink house the kids had been talking about. It was settled far in the trees and isolated, but visible. Jongdae headed towards it with the thought of spending the night there. And if he didn't find it too disagreeable with his back, Jongdae thought maybe he would spend every night there until it was time to leave back to Seoul. It would be like camping for one.

  
  


Though visible, getting to the actual house proved harder than Jongdae thought. He could feel scratches on his legs where his shorts didn't cover and wondered if the itching on his left hand was from poison ivy or just an irritation from all the plants he was touching. Did they even have poison ivy in South Korea? Jongdae decided he would wear pants and gloves the next time he decided to come here and wiped himself down. The witch's pink house only stood a few yards in front of him now, faded, dirty, and in need of demolition. Jongdae approached it with half a smile wondering what sort of 'haunting' actually went on here. The moment he opened the door, the whole house suddenly burst into flames.

  
  


“What the hell is this!” he yelled and jumped back. He covered his face with his arms, but he couldn't feel any heat. Jongdae peeked through his arms at the fire then slowly reached a hand out towards it. It didn't hurt, but Jongdae did feel an electric sting in the pit of his stomach when his hand came in contact with the flame. “What sort of cgi effect is this?”

  
  


Suddenly, Jongdae heard chanting inside the house. His eyes widened, first initial thought being that one of those children had come up here before him and was scared by the sudden harmless fire. His second thought was one of those children had made this harmless fire and maybe he should scare them out for such a trick. Either way, Jongdae hurried inside and began looking for where the voice had come from. Most of the walls were crumbled and Jongdae wasn't sure how the top of the house was still mostly up. But, it made it easier to find the source of the voice. In a back room, Jongdae found a boy probably no older than he. He had dark hair and a small face. He wore a loose white shirt that reminded Jongdae of a choir boy and black pants. Jongdae moved a bit and he could see beads dangling from the boy's neck and some sort of charm held in his pale white hands.

  
  


“Begone, demon,” he said.

  
  


Jongdae raised a brow. Demon? Was this some sort of attraction here in Yanggun? Was he supposed to run away scared? There was a sudden deep rumbling and Jongdae turned his head to see something move, something he could not quite see. It was there, but it wasn't there. Maybe this was an effects student's project.

  
  


“I said away, demon!” the boy yelled again.

  
  


Jongdae wanted to laugh. Taking a second look at the boy he could tell he was scared shitless, an uneasy grimace on his thin pink lips. Maybe if he told the other boy it wasn't real, he would ease up. The boy started muttering again and Jongdae took his distraction as the time to make himself noticed.

  
  


“Hey, you...you okay? I know this all seems real and all, but you've got to calm down first.”

  
  


The boy's eyes suddenly widened seeing Jongdae there. “Wh-what? Who are you? Shit, you're not suppose to be here. Get out of the way, I haven't finished the chant yet.”

  
  


“Chant, what are you talking about?” Jongdae asked.

  
  


“Shit....behind you idiot!” the boy said then closed his eyes and started to mutter faster.

  
  


Jongdae didn't understand at first, but he felt something knock into him from behind the same time he suddenly saw the boy in front of him explode into a burst of white light.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Waking up with white walls and the hum of monitoring machines reminded Jongdae of when he was six. He had met his uncle for the first time in a hospital room just like this. The man, too young to really be a father to a six year old, said they had met when Jongdae was born. He couldn't remember that far back. Either way, they had met for the first time in a hospital when Jongdae was weak in mind and body. He had moved in with his uncle a few days later to his apartment in a busy Chinatown in Seoul. There were two bedrooms and it was housed above a little restaurant that's specialty was duck but was now a black bean noodle place. At the time, his uncle had been reading Buddhist works. Jongdae had actually found some of the practices his uncle would force him to do calming, but it only took a couple months before Jongdae became annoyed with the extremities his uncle took and he moved on to a lesser known religion leaving Jongdae nothing to keep his mind at ease. He was six. He couldn't read English or any of the other text his uncle had. He couldn't get on a computer or use the television. He starved himself for a week before finally turning on the stove and burnt his hand trying to make toast by holding a piece of bread over the yellow and blue flame that popped out.

  
  


Jongdae was afraid of electrical items. He had lived with his parents and his older brother in an old apartment that was slowly losing their residents. They had began looking for a new place to live even though the problems the other tenants were having had not been bestowed on them yet. No weird creaks in the middle of the night, no broken faucets running only when you left the room, and no electrical equipment suddenly shorting out. That was until Jongdae started sawing at the cords with his preschool scissors. At least, he assumed it had been he who had been sawing through the cords. It could have been a rat. The firefighters had said it was a rat and the policemen had said it was a rat. Jongdae clearly remembered hiding behind the television and snipping at the cord though. He remembered seeing sparks and suddenly dropping his scissors and running to the kitchen where his mother was placing down a Sunday dinner, his father and brother coming out brought in by the smell of the meal. They watched television afterward and then Jongdae's elder brother stayed up all night watching porn with headphones in while their parents slept and Jongdae stood in the hallway eyes fixed on the television without seeing what was actually playing not able to sleep. He had his scissors in hand. The smell from the food still lingered in the house and his brother was too busy to notice the fire start up behind the television. No one noticed the fire that started from the washing machine in the kitchen either trapping his parents in their bedroom. Jongdae had escaped through the window to hide on the little balcony, curled up with his head between his knees. His brother could have lived if he hadn't been so embarrassed to run out of the apartment in his stained boxers. Running back to their bedroom had trapped him in as well. No one called right away. They didn't have phones in the bedrooms. They didn't have cellphones.

  
  


Jongdae was taken to the hospital by the firefighters that came over an hour later. He had ingested too much smoke and past out in their arms. They said there were many times he had almost choked. One time he had. He was the only one alive. It was his fault.

  
  


Anger. It lived in Jongdae for a long time. He use to fight with his uncle a lot more. His uncle smacked him a few times and threatened him with all sorts of punishments he had read about depending on the religion he was studying at the time, but he never once did them. A slap and some yelling was all Jongdae got for tearing up his homework in front of the teacher, for pushing Kyungsoo in the mud and stealing his shorts during gym, for stealing five other kid's lunches and then going onto the locked roof to eat. It wasn't until he was ten and got his guts kicked in by the new Chinese boy from down the street after he caught Jongdae hounding Kyungsoo for the noodles he had bought at the shop below his apartment that Jongdae calmed down.

  
  


There was a sudden beep from one of the monitors. Jongdae turned his head to it and sighed. He didn't like being in the hospital. This wasn't any way to spend his summer vacation.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Dressed in his gray school uniform, Jongdae began to miss the flowering summer trees he could see in the park from his hospital room. His uncle had only visited him once or twice, Jongdae had always pretended to be asleep, having masked cringing long ago every time his uncle cursed him when he thought Jongdae couldn't hear. He didn't want a confrontation and as most of his vacation went by with him sitting in a hospital bed watching cable and texting Kyungsoo, he managed to get enough time between the initial accident and the drive back home that such a talk was meaningless. Plus, by the crease in his uncle's brow, Jongdae could tell there were other things on his mind, probably trying to work out a reasonable switch from Christianity to Scientology without making him look like some lunatic in his research papers. But, now, only a week after getting out of that white walled room, fall semester had already approached.

  
  


Class 2-B held most of the foreign exchange students and students like Jongdae who had learned a conversational amount of another language living among many Chinese families. They were all in their matching gray uniforms, a dull switch from the bumble bee blazers Jongdae wore in middle school, sliding around on the desks chattering to friends, talking about girls they met, where they went for summer break, all in a buzz of about three languages ranging from the deepest of baritones to the tone of prepubescent even after balls dropped.

  
  


Sometimes Jongdae wondered why he joined an all boy's high school.

  
  


“Jongdae!”

  
  


Jongdae turned to see Huang Zitao leaping across every desk diagonal from his desk in the back corner to Jongdae's, third desk, first row, right in the space between the hall windows that would make it harder for patrolling teachers to catch him napping when Mr. Lee was teaching. His long legs got Zitao in front of Jongdae's desk before Jongdae could even sit down, Kyungsoo having already sat in his spot beside Jongdae, somehow without getting run over by Zitao. Zitao grinned and saddled the the chair of the desk in front of Jongdae, eyes sparkling, probably waiting for Jongdae to speak. Kyungsoo seemed expectant as well.

  
  


“How was China?” Jongdae finally asked. He had talked to Zitao already on the phone, but he was sure there was about a thousand more ways the younger Chinese boy could explain his trip back to his home town and what could it hurt hearing it for the fifth time.

  
  


“Oh, no fun without you,” Zitao said and he pouted. It was a weird expression on the usually intimidating face of Huang Zitao. Jongdae had almost pissed himself when he first met Zitao, but that was probably more due to the fact he had gotten the shit beat out of him than the fact Zitao was actually scary. He was scary until you found out he liked writing poems on the back of napkins and took ten million selcas in the bathroom everyday. That he whined like a five year old girl when his elder brother denied him anything and became the biggest pile of romantic mush when it came to his boyfriend. Jongdae liked Zitao. He liked interesting characters.

  
  


“Kyungsoo didn't go with you, right?”

  
  


Kyungsoo pulled out his Ipod beside them and shook his head. His soft face was set like stone in a half judging and half murderous look. Jongdae never understood how he could achieve that look when he use to be all gentle squishing smiles as a child. But, then again, Jongdae always shoved Kyungsoo into the mud when he smiled. He didn't do that anymore. Zitao always carried nun-chucks with him.

  
  


“Nooo~~~,” Zitao whined. “He said he had other things he could do if you weren't going. He said it would be weird.”

  
  


“Why would it be weird?”

  
  


Kyungsoo shot Jongdae a quick look then went back to his Ipod. “I don't speak Chinese.”

  
  


“You speak better Chinese than I do and you don't even live in Chinatown.”

  
  


Kyungsoo just shrugged and Jongdae turned back to Zitao.

  
  


“He thought I'd end up making him tag along with old friends, but we didn't even go back to my home town for but a day to visit my grandmother. The rest of the time we spent in the city. It would have been so much fun if you two had gone,” Zitao spewed. “I mean, sure Yifan lets loose when he's not being all teacher poop and stuff, but it would have been a lot more fun with you guys.”

  
  


“I would rather not be privy to Teacher Wu letting loose,” Kyungsoo said.

  
  


Jongdae laughed at that. He had been privy to it once or twice,. Zitao's brother was the art teacher, but he was better at teaching his students how to be a dork while still having most of their sistering student body wanting in his pants. “But you had your boyfriend.”

  
  


Zitao suddenly beamed. “Oh, but Yifan kept leaving Yixing and me alone and there's only so much time you can leave dating people alone before...we...”

  
  


Kyungsoo gagged beside them and Jongdae laughed, reaching across his desk to pinch Zitao's cheek. “How did the youngest of us get laid first.”

  
  


Zitao started whining and slapping at Jongdae's hand without much strength. Jongdae was going to continue to tease him when he saw someone enter their class. He had a dark black uniform which was the first thing Jongdae noticed in the sea of bland gray indicating he was a new student. There was an eery familiarity to the voice that was the second thing that caught Jongdae's attention.

  
  


The student called out to one of Jongdae's classmates. “Excuse me, is this 2-B?”

  
  


“Yes.”

  
  


“Okay, thanks,” he said then turned to leave and Jongdae caught site of his face pale, small, with puppy eyes and small lips.

  
  


The third thing Jongdae noticed was the slight up turn of those lips when their eyes met and then he was gone.

  
  


“Hey, did you hear me?”

  
  


Jongdae turned barely catching Kyungsoo's question. “What?”

  
  


“I asked you what the doctors said. You haven't said anything about why you were in the hospital,” Kyungsoo said and there was that murderous look in his eyes again.

  
  


“Oh, yeah. I just fainted from shock or something. I hit my head and apparently my heartbeat was a bit fast and my blood pressure low. They said the stats were just weird so they kept me there until everything was stabilized for long enough to let me go.”

  
  


“That's weird, what happened?”

  
  


Jongdae leaned down and started to take his books out of his bag. “Shock. I stayed all night in a haunted house. They didn't find me until morning.”

  
  


“But, Jongdae,” Zitao said and leaned in really close to Jongdae's desk, “you don't get shocked by haunted houses or ghosts or anything. We went to one. You handed all the staff workers napkins.”

  
  


“Hot packs,” Jongdae corrected and pulled back up with his notebook and waved it at Zitao. “Class is going to start. You've got fifteen seconds for your long legs to get your butt in your seat.”

  
  


Zitao's eyes widened and he started to jump across the desks again.

 


	2. Not Everyone Swings that Way

**2\. Not Everyone Swings that Way**

 

Jongdae saw the familiar boy again at lunch. Usually, he ate in the music room with Kyungsoo while Zitao went off to bother his brother, but the art teacher had gone out to pick up some supplies so Zitao had whined hi way into getting them to join him at the lunch table where he had spent freshmen year eating with Yixing. He was standing off in a corner of the lunchroom sipping a pouched drink with a large bread in his other hand looking in Jongdae's general direction as Zitao chattered on about the days he use to eat with Yixing there before they started dating. Jongdae quite liked Zitao's boyfriend. He was a usually quiet guy, but when he did speak, it was always funny. And he babied Zitao in a much more mature way than Teacher Wu. He was also oddly insightful and Jongdae almost wished Yixing hadn't graduated already so he could help explain why the familiar boy was staring at him with a slight grin pulling at his pink lips and an almost glare in his eyes. It was giving Jongdae a headache. Or maybe that was just the aftermath of smashing his head against a side table when he crumpled in a deadweight back in the pink haunted house. It had been weeks since then. Jongdae didn't know why he kept getting headaches. It was usually just a dull pain pounding at the back of his head, enough to be an annoyance, but not strong enough for Jongdae to think of going to the nurse. Right now it was starting to hurt a bit more and earlier that morning when he had seen the familiar boy in homeroom it had felt splitting.

  
  


Familiar. Why was he familiar?

  
  


“What's got all your attention. I was trying to tell you about how I almost gave Yixing a handjob under the table here last year.”

  
  


Jongdae made a face. “I don't want to know if, by the chance I lift my leg and it touches the underside of the table, I'll be touching dried semen along with all the other gum and shit.”

  
  


“I _didn't_ jack him off, Jongdae. We weren't dating yet. That was the point of the story.”

  
  


Kyungsoo sighed from his seat a few away from them having decided to set up homework camp at lunch instead of eating. “You guys make it so hard to enjoy the silence sometimes. Jongdae, you usually just listen to him talk, what's up?”

  
  


Jongdae scanned the lunchroom. The familiar boy had moved from his spot in the corner to one of the drink machines against the far wall. “The new kid, I think he's staring at me.”

  
  


“New kid?” Kyungsoo asked.

  
  


“He's wearing the black uniform.”

  
  


“The guy by the drinks?” Zitao asked. “Oh, he's pretty. Maybe he wants to date you.”

  
  


“I doubt there's more than us three who swing that way in this school right now,” Jongdae said.

  
  


“I saw him glaring at you through the window in between classes, but you were asleep,” Kyungsoo added. “I thought maybe you had had a summer romance with him and he was angry at you for breaking it off.”

  
  


“I was in a hospital all summer, I didn't have time for a romance. I think I've seen him before, though.”

  
  


Kyungsoo and Zitao had nothing more to say on it, but Jongdae wracked his brain until afternoon break trying to figure out where he had seen the boy before.

  
  


“Jongdae, buy me a drink,” Kyungsoo said and threw his change pouch on Jongdae's desk pulling him out of his thoughts.

  
  


“What do you want?”

  
  


“Anything.”

  
  


Jongdae left the classroom and immediately saw the familiar boy's uniform out of the corner of his eyes. He turned and started in that direction wanting to confront him before the day ended. He couldn’t have a stalker for more than a day, it felt weird. Following glimpses of the black uniform, he ended up in the unused home economics classroom. He took a few steps inside and suddenly froze. He couldn't move. Well he could move everything but his feet. The familiar boy suddenly emerged from behind one of the counters and clapped his hands in glee.

  
  


“I caught you, I caught you!” he chanted.

  
  


Jongdae started rubbing his head. It hurt. “Caught me? Who are you and what are you trying to do? Why can't I move?”

  
  


The familiar boy frowned. “You talk like a normal person. Well obviously you're not or else you could move. I'm Byun Baekhyun. I'm an exorcist.”

  
  


“You're a what?” Jongdae asked but the moment he said it, Jongdae remembered about the white faced boy who had lit up like a light bulb before Jongdae had crumpled onto the floor during summer vacation.

  
  


“Ah, seems you remember me now. No worries though, I'll have you patched up in a jiffy.”

  
  


“Patched up?” Jongdae asked, but before he could say more, the familiar boy, Byun Baekhyun, pulled out a string of beads and began to chant.

  
  


Jongdae heard a small crackle of electricity behind him followed by the sudden eruption of flames around him dancing along the home economics’ floor until they had made an intricate design within the circle that reminded Jongdae of when his uncle studied Wicca or was that satanism? His mind couldn't make much sense of the situation. The heat of the flames and that earlier crackle had him sweating with an old rush of dread.

  
  


“Ah, a Lust demon, that's what I thought. A pretty low leveled one though if you haven't taken form. Come forth, demon.”

  
  


Jongdae wasn't sure who Baekhyun was talking to, but he didn't have time to question that either. The sensation of being possessed was like having Zitao kick him in the back, something Jongdae was use to but still found himself caught off guard by. He was seeing the world through someone else's eyes, almost like he was a fish looking through a fish bowl. Everything felt distorted. His lips began to move, but he wasn't the one talking.

  
  


“ **Please don't exorcise me,”** said the voice that wasn't Jongdae's.

  
  


“And why shouldn't I?” Byun Baekhyun asked. “You're a demon. It's my job to send you back.”

  
  


“ **I'm a Lust demon. I only came up to find someone and bring them back. I promise on my vessel's life,”** the creature said.

  
  


“Who?” Byun Baekhyun asked.

  
  


“ **A higher level Pride demon who doesn't need a vessel. Sehun.”**

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Kyungsoo was not pleased when Jongdae arrived back in class without his drink. He handed back the coin pouch and laid his head on the desk trying hard not to think about what he had just experienced. Demons. Possession. Exorcists. It was laughable really. By the time the end of school bell rang, Jongdae had almost convinced himself he had imagined it all. Byun Baekhyun must have lured him into the home economics room and hit him over the head with one of the cooking pots like the crazy stalker he was. His head did hurt, a thump in the back of his mind almost as if he could feel the blood pumping through his brain with every one of his heart beats.

  
  


“Hey, you want to go to the arcade?” Zitao asked coming over to Jongdae's desk.

  
  


Jongdae waved him off. “Nah, I've got a major headache. I'm going to head home. See you guys later.” He grabbed his bag and followed the rest of the sea of gray uniforms out of the school's gates.

  
  


Demons.

  
  


Jongdae really tried not to laugh. He should be worried. One for the fact it seemed he had a stalker willing to bash his head in. Two, what Jongdae had dreamed of were demons. However, he had rather not spend any time in the hospital again.

  
  


“Hey, so where are _you_ off to?” a voice asked from beside Jongdae.

  
  


“Home,” Jongdae answered before his brow creased and he looked to his side where an ethereal white boy in a black uniform stood grinning at him. He jumped back. “Stalker!”

  
  


“Stalker? You should call me your savior. If I hadn't shot that white light that day, you might have been halfway to Canada right now. The same with that spell I did earlier.”

  
  


Jongdae groaned. “You're trying to tell me you didn't smack me over the head and all that exorcism stuff was real?”

  
  


“Is this real enough for you?” Baekhyun asked and held his hand in front of Jongdae's face. It was a very pretty hand. Jongdae wasn't sure how he meant for this to be proof until the pretty hand erupted in a bright white light that had his body itching as if something inside himself was trying to claw their way out.

  
  


“Okay, okay, get that away from me.”

  
  


Baekhyun pulled his hand away and grinned. “See, now you can stop calling me a stalker.”

  
  


“We'll see,” Jongdae said and rubbed his head.

  
  


“Chanyeol's scared.”

  
  


“Chanyeol?”

  
  


“Your demon,” Baekhyun explained. “You are possessed by a Lust demon. Seems he's not a very strong demon which would explain why he hasn't taken form yet. Weaker demons can escape the other realm quicker than stronger demons, but they also have to possess a person not long after getting out. Usually they just hide and collect energy and they're not that big of a pest.”

  
  


“If he's not such a big deal then why are you here?” Jongdae asked.

  
  


A dark look came over Baekhyun's face then and he crossed his arms. “When I first saw him, he had a semi-form. I didn't know he was a weak thing. Plus, I hate it when demons get away.”

  
  


“So, you came all the way here just to get this Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked.

  
  


“Initially. My grandmother sent me.”

  
  


“Then what was all that in the home economics’ room? Couldn't you have sent him back then?”

  
  


“I could have, but sometimes it's good to use a weaker demon as bait for a stronger demon.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. “You're going to help him catch that Sehun guy I presume.”

  
  


“Yes, which brings me to the reason why I'm walking with you. I need a place to stay. And by that, I mean I'm going to live with you.”

  
  


“What, why?” Jongdae asked. He didn't want to be around this exorcist guy anymore than he had to. He made his head hurt more.

  
  


“Well, one is because I need to keep an eye on you and Chanyeol. Two, because I don't have any money to spend outside of exorcism stuff.”

  
  


Jongdae shook his head. “Tough luck, you can't stay with me. My uncle doesn't like other people staying at the apartment.” The one time Jongdae had tried to have a sleepover with Zitao at his house, Kyungsoo having been out of town, his uncle had came in, seen them, then accused Jongdae of being a homosexual. Which Jongdae was, but he would never let his uncle know that. His uncle had then proceeded to throw a bunch of different religious books at Zitao and slapped Jongdae around a bit. Out of all the holy research his uncle seemed to do, there was always one rule in all of them that never changed (or was just never addressed) – homosexuality was bad. Well, only if you read the stuff how most men wanted you to. Jongdae didn't believe it, but he also did not want to fight with his uncle who had found his porn collection just before summer break (which would explain why Jongdae was forced along with him) and the fight during summer break itself.

  
  


“Well, your uncle's gone on a Scientology trip so that's not an excuse. He'll be gone for a couple months. It's more like an expedition,” Baekhyun said with a gloating grin.

  
  


An expedition? Without telling Jongdae? That sounded about right. Still, Jongdae narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun. “That sounded very stalkerish.”

  
  


Baekhyun sighed. “Well sue me then. I'm a good exorcist, I do my research.”

  
  


“Can't you just switch who Chanyeol is possessing or something? Can't you just let him possess you?” Jongdae felt tired now.

  
  


“Nope! Exorcists can't be possessed by anything so weak. Only the highest level can and they don't need hosts. Plus, it's Chanyeol's choice who he wants to stay in and he picked you.”

  
  


“Great,” Jongdae groaned.

  
  


“Hey, look, we're at your house.”

  
  


Jongdae turned to see the little apartment above the black bean noodle shop he had been hearing rumors was going to be turned into a Chinese bakery soon. “You know where my house is, too?”

  
  


“I came during morning break,” Baekhyun explained and grabbed Jongdae's hand leading him to the staircase that was set on the side of the building leading up to the apartment. “Hurry and open it. I'm not going through your uncle's window again. His room creeps me out. It reminds me of the wannabe exorcists' that come to Grandma's house all the time.”

  
  


“I really want to be mad at you for going to my uncle's room, but I'm tired.” He opened the door to the quaint little living area and the small kitchen hidden behind it. To the side was Jongdae's room first, oddly the biggest room, then the bathroom, and finally his uncle's room sat far and cozy to the back. “This is it.”

  
  


Baekhyun walked in and flopped down on the couch. “I said I'd seen it already.”

  
  


Jongdae went to the kitchen not paying Baekhyun mind and pulled out his homework. “If you want, we can do homework together.”

  
  


“I'm not doing homework. I've already graduated high school three times.”

  
  


Jongdae didn't bother asking what that meant, but the pain throbbing at the back of his head had finally stopped. Maybe Chanyeol had fallen asleep.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Jongdae felt an exhaustion he had not felt since he use to take martial arts lessons from Zitao. The hours upon hours he stayed tagged along with his Chinese friend when trying to avoid his uncle were filled with sweat and bruises and he stopped assuming the first time Zitao had beat him up as just surpriser's luck. He whined and cried just as much at Zitao did about stuff outside of martial arts class during the lessons, and twice as much inside his head. This exhaustion was minus the sweat and bruises, but Jongdae still felt like crying and whining and punching his pillow. Byun Baekhyun was a ball of energy, which, Jongdae supposed, would make sense seeing as their first meeting Baekhyun had burst into a ball of light. After homework, Jongdae had gone to the stove to cook supper and Baekhyun was immediately down his neck yapping away about how troublesome it had been to track Jongdae down after he'd left the hospital. Baekhyun had brought Jongdae to an estimated place in the vicinity of where he was staying not sure where that was at the moment and let some of the neighborhood kids deal with him. They had called Jongdae 'that boy that the crazy bible man keeps in his room', and that was all Baekhyun had to go on after Jongdae had left sooner than Baekhyun and his Grandmother had expected from the hospital. Baekhyun explained that he lived with his grandmother there in Yonggun. Those mountains where the center of their exorcist family's roots. Baekhyun had been born with these powers and always knew, but he messed up often so his Grandmother liked to make him reap what he sewed. Which was why he was there with Jongdae right then pretending to be an exchange student.

  
  


He was Byun Baekhyun, seventeen years old, with a mouth that ran faster than the Korean internet.

  
  


Jongdae sighed and rubbed his head as he made his way to his bedroom after a quick wash up. His headache had come back when Baekhyun had started talking to him and then he had allowed the young exorcist to bathe first. He had tried so hard to get Jongdae to join him. 'We'll save water.' 'I don't like bathing by myself.' He sounded like Zitao and his fear of ghosts. But Jongdae didn't think Baekhyun would be afraid of ghosts. At least, not in the same way as Zitao, who could defend just fine against the physical versus Baekhyun who had the powers to send demons back to what he called the 'other realm'. At least Baekhyun had cleaned up after himself in the shower even if he did use more than half of Jongdae's shower gel.

  
  


His bed was a welcomed pressure when Jongdae flopped down onto it spread eagle and let out a sigh. He had to be thankful that his uncle had allowed him the master bedroom even though he knew it was only so Jongdae wouldn't make as much noise going to and from school every day . His room might initially come off as a girl's room with all the pink everywhere, but they weren't pink hearts or pink flowers, though there were a couple of pink stuffed toys Jongdae had won in various machines. It was all the typical 'manly' stuff just in pink and some other shades of darker colors spread about. Among all the pink sat a desk with his laptop and printer, a shelf with all his uncle approved videogame cases 'which housed unapproved video games', a green and black skateboard, and a bicycle helmet somewhere hidden among strewn about clothes. There was a lot of room for thrown about clothes. Jongdae didn't have much more than that. He had a step aunt in Paris who sent him money in exchange for his uncle taking care of him. Jongdae preferred to keep most of her allowance safe to use for college than to buy more personal belongings he would have to get approval from his uncle for having.

  
  


**Baekhyun's not here, let's talk.**

  
  


Jongdae shot up in bed and looked back and forth. The voice sounded familiar, but also echoed like it was coming from inside his head.

  
  


**Don't bother looking for me, I'm inside your head.**

  
  


“Inside my head?” Jongdae asked. Was he going crazy?

  
  


**You're not going crazy, you're just possessed. I'm Chanyeol.**

  
  


Jongdae frowned. Right, he had almost forgotten he had another being occupying his mind. “What do you want?”

  
  


**Hey, don't be angry. It's not my fault you took an exorcist's cleansing shot for me. I wasn't quite in need of a body right then.**

  
  


“Well if you're not in need of a body, how about you pop out and find another house when you do?” Jongdae offered.

  
  


**I can't...I am now in need of a body.** The demon, Chanyeol, sounded apologetic. **Your body is sort of draining. Probably because you took that cleansing shot.**

  
  


Jongdae sighed. “How long are you going to stay in my head?”

  
  


**Until I find Sehun,** the demon answered.

  
  


Jongdae laid back down on the bed and sighed. “Who's this Sehun...man I feel like a lunatic talking to myself like this.”

  
  


**You'll get use to it, at least I talk to you and I'm not just taking over your body. Except earlier, but that's because I had to talk to Byun Baekhyun.**

  
  


“Sehun,” Jongdae urged.

  
  


**Right, he's a Pride demon. I'm looking for him. Just as I told Baekhyun, I would rather not give a reason for why I need to find him, I just do. He's strong enough not to need a human host while feeding so it shouldn't be hard to find him.**

  
  


“Feeding?” Jongdae asked.

  
  


**Oh, that's right.** Chanyeol suddenly sounded overly bright. **So, I'm a Lust demon.**

  
  


“So I heard,” Jongdae said. “You seem more like a fire demon.”

  
  


**Fire demon, Lust demon. Wind demon, Pride demon. It's all the same, but the way we each feed is different, so I'm going to need you, as my host, to do me a little favor. There's a way I can get out of your head, but I need to know if you have a lover.**

  
  


Jongdae reddened. No, he didn't have a lover. He might have had a bit of a crush on Zitao's brother freshmen year. He also might have stolen Kyungsoo's first kiss during his bullying years, but Kim Jongdae had never had a significant other in any sense of the word. “No.”

  
  


Chanyeol seemed to sigh. It was a weird sensation hearing someone else sigh in his head. **So here's the thing I'm going to need you to do then, Jongdae. I'm going to need you to, as often and as hard as you can, jack off.**

  
Jack off. Jongdae hadn't known what a demon's favor would be, but it definitely wasn't that. 

 


	3. The Third Hole is Not For That

**3\. The Third Hole is Not For That**

  
  


For a teenage boy, Jongdae did not wack it as often as he should. Usually, after homework, cooking a meal, and doing a semi-good job of cleaning up the place, Jongdae was too tired to really think about it by the time he went to bed. There was always the shower, but Jongdae didn't feel like cleaning it up afterward. And that was only if his uncle wasn't home. Jongdae's mind was plagued by the request of the lust demon, Chanyeol, and he couldn't get away from it no matter what else he started thinking about with that slight hum in the back of his mind reminding him that, indeed, he was possessed by a demon that could only leave his body once he had accumulated enough lustful energy to either switch hosts or take on a human form. Jongdae wasn't a lustful person himself even if his uncle tended to find Zitao's porn magazines in Jongdae's room more than once, magazines handed to Jongdae after Zitao started getting his own live porn with Yixing. Kyungsoo was probably even more lusty than Jongdae. He liked watching anime alone in his room and Jongdae was pretty sure Japan made some pretty risque cartoons for such boys. Maybe being possessed by a lust demon would make him lustier, though Jongdae didn't really want to screw the first person that showed interest in him sexually. Masturbating did sound like the better evil.

  
  


“Your face is all knotted up. It's ugly,” Kyungsoo commented from beside Jongdae the next day in class. “That means something's wrong..”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. The teacher for third period wouldn't be there for another three minutes or more. He rubbed fingers on a spot on the back of his head where he could feel the humming and turned to Kyungsoo. “I'm trying to decide if I want to get off or not.”

  
  


Kyungsoo seemed to redden a bit at that and squinted his eyes in a glare. “Why are you thinking about that kind of thing at school, Kim Jongdae?”

  
  


“School's the best place to sit back and think about home issues, Kyungsoo. Ignore the lectures and you get eight hours of thinking time.”

  
  


“I don't think masturbating is an issue you really have to think about,” Kyungsoo said.

  
  


“Maybe not for you. You have all that anime you watch in the middle of the night to fantasize to.”

  
  


Kyungsoo suddenly reached over and grabbed Jongdae's arm.

  
  


“H-hey, Kyungsoo I haven't bullying you,” Jongdae protested as his younger friend started to twist his arm. Pain ran up to his shoulder in a matter of only seconds and he started to tap his desk like a fighter tapping out in the ring. “Ow, ow, ow, ow. Kyungsoo stop.”

  
  


The helpless boy Jongdae use to push in the mud all the time, though still weak, had learned a few moves from Zitao and his instructor, a talent Jongdae had never achieved sweating his butt off doing the same. Sometimes Jongdae couldn't believe he was the one getting bullied by his two younger friends now. He pulled his arm away and rubbed it up and down.

  
  


Kyungsoo crossed his arms, a glare now permanently set in his white rich big eyes. “Your uncle is gone, right? Just do whatever you want then.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. That would have made sense, but Jongdae wasn't alone in his apartment. “My stalker is living with me.”

  
  


“Stalker?”

  
  


Right, how to explain to his friends that Byun Baekhyun was staying with him and would most likely pop up here and there. “Uh, we met some exorcists in Yonggun and the son, his name's Baekhyun, was asked to stay . Exorcisms have to do with religion and stuff.”

  
  


“The guy in the black uniform?” Kyungsoo asked, a brow raised.

  
  


“Y-yeah. That kid. He's staying with me.”

  
  


Kyungsoo suddenly reached out and tugged at Jongdae's ear pulling him closer to his desk.

  
  


“O-ow! Kyungsoo, isn't hurting me once in a class period enough?”

  
  


Kyungsoo ignored him and leaned in to whisper, “You're lying. If he's your boyfriend, I won't tell your uncle he's staying at your house, but you can't lie to me.”

  
  


Jongdae's eyes widened. He hated Kyungsoo's insightfulness even if he was wrong. Jongdae opened his mouth to protest but suddenly started coughing getting a whiff of something he could only describe as ocean musk.

  
  


**Or ocean spunk.**

  
  


Jongdae started to cough louder. He hadn't said that out loud so he wasn't sure if Chanyeol had heard. Could he read his thoughts?

  
  


**Yes. You would look crazy if I only listened to what you** _ **actually**_ **said. Which in return, I actually can't hear what you say out loud, but people tend to think about what they're saying at the same time they say it. I didn't want to creep you out yesterday so I didn't correct you.**

  
  


Jongdae's face turned glum.

  
  


“What's wrong now?” Kyungsoo asked. “Did you go back to thinking about _that_?”

  
  


“Yes,” Jongdae answered quickly and situated himself back in his desk.

  
  


**I made you angry. I apologize, but that smell, it's familiar to me**.

  
  


Kyungsoo's smell? Jongdae had never really noticed how his friends smelled before. Well, most of the time Kyungsoo smelled like baked goods or kimchi spaghetti and Zitao smelled either of expensive Gucci perfume or expensive Gucci perfume and sweat. Sometimes he smelled like Yixing which the already graduated boy smelled like he either ran a drug ring or worked in a potpourri shop. He actually just worked in a Chinese herbal store down the street from Jongdae, but they all smelled about the same.

  
  


**He smells like ocean jizz, not cake.**

  
  


Jongdae wished the demon wouldn't call it that. He didn't find it particularly weird. Kyungsoo just got a new perfume.

  
  


**I guess. Your friends do seem a bit weird.**

  
  


Jongdae didn't know how to take that. Looking over at Kyungsoo, he caught him drawing pictures of cakes in his math book with ingredient counts and fractions everywhere. And across the room was Zitao actually sleeping for once, his hair dyed blond much to the school's dismay, and a bright red hickey visible behind his left ear. They were weird, but they were still Jongdae's friends and he owed his peaceful state of mind to them. Without them, there was the chance of becoming angry again.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


“You're coming bowling with us,” Zitao announced at the end of the day just as Jongdae finished zipping up his bag.

  
  


“Bowling?” he looked up with a raised brow . It was the middle of a school week, why did they want to go bowling. Jongdae turned to Kyungsoo to make some sense of this.

  
  


“It's buy one get one free,” Kyungsoo explained. “And the nachos are half off.”

  
  


Jongdae nodded understanding. “Alright, I'll come. Is Yixing coming, too then?”

  
  


Zitao opened his mouth then stopped and creased his brows together. “I haven't asked him yet. I'll text him on the way there, let's just go.”

  
  


Usually, Jongdae would turn them down, but as Baekhyun had said, his uncle really had gone out of country for some expedition or whatever and Jongdae liked taking advantage of when his uncle was gone. He quickly checked his wallet then followed Zitao and Kyungsoo out of school and into the main town area closest to the school which was already a bustle with uniform clad teenagers. The smells of street vendors' carts started getting to him as they walked, afternoon hunger pains tapping at his stomach while the thump of Chanyeol's presence continued in the back of his mind, getting worse the more excited he got. He wondered if demons ate human foods or not. Could they taste the food of their host?

  
  


**I've never had human food. This is only my second time on the surface world. Eat lots of good things for me, I can smell whatever you smell and taste whatever you taste. I can't feel whatever you feel so don't try smashing your head against a door to get me out, I won't know if you're in pain.**

  
  


So Chanyeol could taste and smell but he couldn't hear or feel what Jongdae did. What about seeing?

  
  


**I see whatever gets filtered through your mind. So, sometimes they're not the way they're actually happening. I'm sure your friends don't look as dopey as you make them out to be in your mind. If I take over I can hear and see and feel and everything, just so you know.**

  
  


Right, so Jongdae was going to eat a lot of good foods so Chanyeol didn't take over. He didn't really remember the last time it had happened, but he knew it hadn't been pleasant.

  
  


**It could be pleasant. It could be very pleasant.**

  
  


There was an air of seduction to the raspy deep feel of Chanyeol's voice that made a shiver go down Jongdae's spine and he tried to ignore the thoughts that flooded him. He had almost forgot there was a _Lust_ demon inside him, not just an annoying parasite.

  
  


As if on cue, Jongdae felt something suddenly grab a hold of his arm and connect itself to him . He looked over to see Byun Baekhyun clinging to him with eyes curved into crescents like a baby's. “Hi Jongdae~.”

  
  


“What are you doing here?” Jongdae asked flatly keeping his voice a whisper. They had reached the bowling alley and Zitao and Kyungsoo were walking in front of him.

  
  


“I'm your stalker, remember?” Baekhyun suddenly dropped the smile. “Actually, no, I have to keep tabs on you and someone told me you go to the music room after school, but you weren't there so I had to chase you down.”

  
  


“Oh, the music room,” Jongdae said dumbly. He was actually part of the choir with Kyungsoo, but the meetings didn't start up again until next week. “That's next week. But, you have to follow me everywhere _?”_

  
  


Baekhyun nodded and pulled Jongdae inside after his friends. Zitao was all pouts as he turned around, then his eyes went wide seeing Byun Baekhyun on Jongdae's arm. Kyungsoo seemed slightly miffed seeing the new comer. Probably because a fifth person meant someone wasn't getting to play half off.

  
  


“Who's that?” Zitao asked.

  
  


Jongdae tried to move his arm out of Baekhyun's grasp, but he exorcist wouldn't let him go. “This is Byun Baekhyun.”

  
  


“Jongdae's stalker,” Kyungsoo corrected.

  
  


Baekhyun went back to smiling and moved closer to Jongdae. “Hi, nice to meet you guys. I'm actually not a stalker, but Jongdae here is my host so I would be quite confused on my own. I hope you don't mind me tagging along.”

  
  


“Host?” Zitao asked.

  
  


“Uh, yeah, he's staying at my apartment.”

  
  


Zitao's brows raised and a grin crossed his lips. Jongdae knew exactly what he was thinking and it was wrong.

  
  


“I'm an exorcist,” Baekhyun explained quickly. “I don't really understand, but I was asked to stay at Jongdae's home for a while, but it seems his uncle up and left. My family is stationed in Yaggun.”

  
  


“Where Jongdae spent his vacation?” Zitao asked and when he got a nod from them both as an answer, Jongdae knew his youngest friend had decided for himself what Baekhyun was really doing there which was of course, wrong.

  
  


“Well, Baekhyun, you came just in time,” Zitao said and pocketed his phone that he had been typing on since they left school. “My boyfriend can't make it so you get to fill in his spot.”

  
  


“Oh, lucky me,” Baekhyun said, though his voice didn't sound very excited.

  
  


“Let's just bowl,” Jongdae said.

  
  


They got their shoes and quickly moved to a single lane deciding to play as individuals and not in teams like they would have if Yixing had joined them. Jongdae walked over to the rack of bowling balls and weighed a few of them before picking up a dark green one of just heavy enough weight. He looked beside him to see Baekhyun staring at the balls and lightly trying to pick up the heaviest with his ring finger where his thumb was supposed to go.

  
  


“Baekhyun, that's not how you pick up a ball.”

  
  


Baekhyun looked up at him with wide puppy dog eyes then frowned and tried to move his fingers differently. Jongdae chuckled a bit and sighed. He put his ball down on the rack and grabbed Baekhyun's hand leading it to a lighter ball. He slid each of Baekhyun's fingers into the correct hole taking notice at how long and slender they were and at just how nicely shaped his hands were, like a model's.

  
  


“Okay, pick it up.”

  
  


Baekhyun did and just stared at the light blue ball then over it at Jongdae. “Now what?”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. “You've never bowled before.”

  
  


Baekhyun reddened and turned away. “I socialized a lot, just never at a bowling alley. I had exorcism stuff to learn you know.”

  
  


Jongdae nodded and grabbed his ball again. “I guess that means I'm going to have to teach you a few things before we start. Hold the ball exactly like you are and follow me.”

  
  


He led Baekhyun back over to where Zitao was texting Yixing or his brother, Kyungsoo having already disappeared to the snack bar for nachos. He punched in his and Baekhyun's names into the machine then turned to Baekhyun. “Basically all you are going to do is roll your ball down the little alleyway there and hit the pins. Don't cross that line on the floor. It'll give you a zero and you'll probably slip and fall.”

  
  


“I know how to play, I just don't know how to use the ball.”

  
  


Jongdae heard a laugh behind him and turned to catch Zitao watching them. Zitao quickly adverted his eyes and went back to his phone. “Alright, I'll show you then. Copy me.”

  
  


Jongdae went through the motions of throwing the ball without actually throwing it and watched Baekhyun try to do it about five times only ending with him throwing the ball backwards and chasing after it, his baby powder white skin flushing a blush pink. With a light chuckle, Jongdae placed his own ball onto the belt and went over to Baekhyun. He moved around him frowning when he noticed their heights barely differed, Baekhyun only slightly taller maybe because of a difference in shoes, and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun, grabbing his pretty hands again.

  
  


“Okay,” Jongdae began, breath against Baekhyun's neck. It was sort of awkward teaching someone his own age how to bowl. He had done so for kids during a summer job once. “You're going to do this in four steps. 1...2...3....throw the ball.”

  
  


“Oh, like this?” Baekhyun asked.

  
  


“Yeah, but when you go to throw the ball, bend and toss it more then throw it. After the first few tried you should learn which way you tend to lean with the ball and you can adjust where you end up on the line.”

  
  


“Okay, but what do you mean bend? That'll look silly.”

  
  


Jongdae hummed. He would probably have to show Baekhyun how far he'd have to lean down to get a better chance at a strike. He took a big breath and almost coughed at the waft of forest and some sort of soapy perfume he got off Baekhyun along with his own shower gels. He felt his face redden and moved his hands away from Baekhyun's to his waist which was small and a bit soft. He pressed his weight against Baekhyun's back until he was bent as far as Jongdae usually did when bowling and whispered, “I think you should start here.”

  
  


It might have been his imagination, but Jongdae thought he saw red light up the tips of Baekhyun's ears.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Bowling ended with Kyungsoo's win and Baekhyun and Zitao bickering over whether a combination of strikes and gutter balls were better than a bunch of low scores as they had both come in at the bottom, Baekhyun the lowest but only by ten points. Jongdae didn't think that was bad for someone who had never bowled before and required Jongdae to chase after his ball every five turns when he let go too soon. It was a good two hours, Jongdae thought and he was full of nachos and soda and wanted to get home to get his homework done and eat some veggies and rice.

  
  


“Well that was fun,” Baekhyun said when he and Zitao had stopped bickering.

  
  


“Maybe next time it's half off day you can come again,” Kyungsoo said. “Of course you'll have to find someone to pay the half off. Zitao's not going to let his boyfriend live this down.”

  
  


“Aww, you're inviting me?” Baekhyun said and he reached out and pinched Kyungsoo's cheek. “He's so cute.”

  
  


“I wouldn't do that if I was you,” Jongdae warned, but it was too late. Kyungsoo had already grabbed Baekhyun's arm and twisted it into a triangle behind his head.

  
  


“Ow, ow, ow! Let me go!”

  
  


Kyungsoo did with a glare. Baekhyun moved away from both of Jongdae's friends and hid behind him. “Why does he hurt? He could have pulled my arm out of my socket.”

  
  


“He's not that strong,” Jongdae assured. “He only knows how to make you hurt, not how to cause actual damage. I'd get use to it if you're going to be hanging out around us.”

  
  


Baekhyun pouted at that, pink lip jutting out. It made him look like a toddler about to stage a fit. Jongdae chuckled and reached out and ruffled his hair. “Don't make that baby face.”

  
  


Baekhyun's expression changed to one of blinking confusion as Jongdae's hands ruffled through his hair. “Baby face?”

  
  


“Hey guys, I gotta get going,” Zitao said waving his phone at them. “Yixing says he's taking me out to dinner to make up for not bowling with us.”

  
  


“Dinner? But you just ate like four plates of nachos,” Baekhyun said.

  
  


“So?” Zitao challenged, eyes innocent and confused, highlighted by his natural dark circle beneath his eyes that usually gave him a scary aura, but with that look, he resembled more of the adorable little step-brother Teacher Wu had doted on since Zitao and his father moved to Korea to be with them. That had been only a year before Jongdae had gotten his ass whooped by Zitao.

  
  


“He looks like a baby panda. Has anyone ever told you you look like a baby panda? A green baby panda, but a baby panda.”

  
  


“I'm not green, I just spend time outside unlike someone,” Zitao deadpanned.

  
  


“Hey, I go outside often...there's just trees, lots of trees.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed and stepped between them. “His nickname's Kung Fu Panda. He eats like him, too, so let's let Zitao go and have dinner with his lover.”

  
  


Zitao ran off and Jongdae and Kyungsoo were left with cleaning off their table while Baekhyun punched buttons on the machine.

  
  


“I guess it's us three walking home together then,” Jongdae said.

  
  


“No, just you two,” Kyungsoo said. “I have other places to be.”

  
  


“Like where?”

  
  


“Home,” Kyungsoo said.

  
  


“Your house is in the same direction as mine. Do you not like Baekhyun? You only have to be stuck with him for a while.”

  
  


Kyungsoo sighed and took the trash from Jongdae. “I like him just fine, but I think you like him more than that.”

  
  


Jongdae laughed at that. “I barely know him.”

  
  


“Either way, you two walk home together, I've already finished today's homework, I can loiter on my way home.”

  
  


So Jongdae found himself walking Baekhyun back to his apartment in awkward silence.

  
  


“Um...thanks for showing me how to bowl,” Baekhyun suddenly spoke up. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at the sites of the streets splattered with specks of Chinatown indicating they were getting close to Jongdae's street. “Honestly, I thought it was going to be all work coming here just like it always is. I'm glad I could do something fun for once.”

  
  


“Really? You seem like the sort of person that would get along well with many people, you don't have friends you can hang around with?”

  
  


“Oh, I have friends, but I also have powers, Jongdae. Haven’t you ever heard 'with great power comes a greater responsibility'? Not everyone in my family was born with the light to send demons back to the other realm, but they get a choice whether to still help the family. I didn't get a choice. I was born bursting with light, literally. Immediately, I had to be trained by grandmother.”

  
  


“So, you don't want to be an exorcist?” Jongdae asked. “Can't you quit when you're twenty?”

  
  


Baekhyun laughed. “Of course I can, but I'm an exorcist. Isn't that a pretty cool job? I thinks it's a little cooler than being a singer, right?”

  
  


Jongdae's eyes shot opened. “You want to be a singer?”

  
  


Baekhyun's eyes were wide, too, and he quickly looked away as if he had been caught saying something he shouldn't have. “Nevermind that. We're close to your apartment, but there's a lot of noise.”

  
  


“Oh, I think one of the shops were having a party or something. It should be fun to see,” Jongdae said and reached out. He grabbed Baekhyun's wrist around the black sleeve of his school uniform and dragged him toward where he could see a crowd of people waving red and gold banners like a mini Chinese festival. There were workers starting to dress in elaborate costumes. One of them jumped out at them as they past already fully clothe with a painted mask and Jongdae was surprised to hear the high pitched scream that followed the worker's goodnatured roar.

  
  


“What do I do! Please...please...ah, Jongdae, it scared me. Really. Ah really? Ah,” Baekhyun screamed into Jongdae's ear as he clung onto his arm almost climbing on top of Jongdae.

  
  


Jongdae stared for a moment then looked at the worker and laughed. “You're scared of a guy dressed up as a monster?”

  
  


The worker bowed and apologized for scaring them.

  
  


“H-hey, don't laugh at me,” Baekhyun said still clinging to Jongdae as they continued on to his apartment.

  
  


“But you're an exorcist.”

  
  


“So?”

  
  


“You're an _exorcist_ ,” Jongdae repeated as he opened the door to his apartment.

  
  


Baekhyun let go of his arm and quickly rushed in, but stopped in the entrance way to turn, hands on his hips. “Demons are one thing. I've never fought ghosts or monsters before. They could eat me.”

  
  


Jongdae lifted a hand to cover his laugh, but couldn't hide his smile. “Byun Baekhyun, you're weird.” 

 


	4. Do Not Anger Do Kyungsoo

**4\. Do Not Anger Do Kyungsoo**

 

 

 

Jongdae couldn't help his face. The musky sea salt scent that seemed to cover Kyungsoo lately had grown stronger after bowling the other day and Chanyeol wouldn't shut up about it. The direction of airflow in the classroom had Kyungsoo's scent wafting straight toward Jongdae most hours of the days and today he had finally gotten fed up with it and donned a face mask that didn't really help and just made everyone think he had caught a cold. At least Teacher Lu smelled good and Jongdae could breath for the lunch period spent in the music room who's polishes and old kimchi scent masked Kyungsoo beside him along with the smell of the music teacher and Baekhyun. Baekhyun smelt less like the forest and more like Jongdae’s soap everyday and he couldn't help scooting closer to the exorcist whenever he intruded on Jongdae's lunch in the music room with Kyungsoo. He'd even managed to get Zitao to tag along who normally hated coming to the music room because Yixing wasn't there anymore to play the piano and sing him pretty songs. But, they smelt better than Kyungsoo.

  
  


“Is Baekhyun going to eat lunch with us again?” Kyungsoo asked as the bell rang for lunch.

  
  


Jongdae stood up and managed to finally get out of the airflow of Kyungsoo's smell. “Yeah, probably. He's been complaining that he got put in another class when he told the office specifically that he was staying with me.”

  
  


“How's that going by the way?” Kyungsoo asked adjusting his bag on his shoulder before patting the spot where his lunch protruded in a big square from the front pocket.

  
  


“What? Having a roommate?” Jongdae sighed. It wasn't too bad. Baekhyun laid around on the couch while Jongdae did homework then complained about Jongdae's bare minimum cooking only to order food in the middle of the night leaving leftovers for Jongdae to take for lunch in the mornings. “I've run out of shower gel.”

  
  


Kyungsoo laughed. “He does seem like the high maintenance type with how white his skin is and everything.”

  
  


“Yeah, I'm surprised he and Zitao get along so well considering how Baekhyun teased him when we were bowling,” Jongdae said. And how he continued to tease both Zitao and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo had almost broken Baekhyun's leg yesterday when he came to visit their classroom.

  
  


“Hey, you use to tease me and we became friends, right?” Kyungsoo pointed out.

  
  


Jongdae smiled gently and opened the door to the music room for Kyungsoo. “I did more than tease you, Kyungsoo.”

  
  


Kyungsoo waved Jongdae off and went over to a corner of the room to set up lunch. Jongdae waved at the pretty music teacher sat nicely in a corner with a good looking first year. Jongdae quite liked Teacher Lu. He was Chinese and looked like a China doll and smelt like bubble gum and grass and soap.

  
  


“Did your roommate order a midnight snack too big for his stomach again?” Kyungsoo asked seeing Jongdae's meal of fried chicken.

  
  


Jongdae nodded and began to nibble his food distracted by pretty Teacher Lu and the good looking first year. They weren't singing or play instruments but dancing off in a corner. It looked like ballet, but Jongdae wasn't sure.

  
  


**Your friend smells really bad. You should talk to him about showering more often,** Chanyeol piped up.

  
  


Jongdae's face fell. He was more than aware of Kyungsoo's sudden change in smell. He was pretty sure it was the lust demon's fault he could smell all of this in the first place.

  
  


**Well if you ever masturbated like I told you to, I could probably have taken form long enough for you to enjoy a few morning classes without the smell.**

  
  


Right, Jongdae had forgotten about the masturbating. He couldn't do it. He had tried once in the shower, a quickie before bed, but he could here Baekhyun out in the living room laughing , and though he managed to get turned on, he could not bring himself to continue, red flushing his cheeks.

  
  


**I doubt the exorcist cares if you masturbate.**

  
  


Jongdae really wished Chanyeol would shut up and stop reading everyone of his thoughts.

  
  


**I'll stop if you tell your friend he smells bad. It's not the muskiness that's got me, I know that that's from. But the sea salt smell is weird. And there's a hint of old money.**

  
  


The demon was like a dog, but Jongdae figured asking Kyungsoo about his smell couldn't hurt, well at least not much. Kyungsoo had only managed to successfully give him a sore neck once with his locks.

  
  


“Kyungsoo, you smell bad.”

  
  


Kyungsoo's face immediately became dark and he leaned toward Jongdae menacingly across their little fort of food. “What are you talking about Kim Jongdae?”

  
  


Jongdae gritted his teeth and smiled. Kyungsoo had learned very quickly how to be scary, or maybe he had finally just grown into his scary face which had been funny as a child. “I'm just trying to ask you a question out of concern. Ever since this semester started, you've smelt funny. Have you been taking enough showers?”

  
  


“Of course. I take one every morning.”

  
  


Jongdae frowned at that. “You don't happen to jack off after the shower do you?”

  
  


Kyungsoo reddened. “Of course not! Why are we talking about that?”

  
  


Jongdae picked at his chicken leg and tried not to look Kyungsoo in the face. “Because that's what you smell like. Cum.”

  
  


Kyungsoo's glare was like fire and it burned to a boil on Jongdae's skin. “Say that again, Kim Jongdae, I dare you.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. “I said I was concerned, Kyungsoo. Maybe it's just new shower gel or cologne.”

  
  


“Same shower gel and I don't use cologne.”

  
  


“Maybe you should then. Ow!” Jongdae rubbed his arm where Kyungsoo punched it.

  
  


**Seemed like it hurt**.

  
  


“Shut up Chanyeol,” Jongdae muttered under his breath.

  
  


“What was that?”

  
  


“Nothing,” Jongdae said and moved his hand away from his bruising arm.

  
  


Kyungsoo seemed happier now that he had hit Jongdae and had gone back to eating.

  
  


“Kyungsoo, it's just you smell different than before. It's not just the cu...musky smell, but sea salt and a little bit of old money.”

  
  


Kyungsoo's eyes suddenly widened and he looked away. “It's nothing, you're just smelling things, Jongdae.”

  
  


**We're not smelling things. I'm more curious about the sea salt and old money smell than the musk. I know very well what that is.**

  
  


Jongdae didn't understand. Chanyeol knew? He had said that once already.

  
  


**Zitao has a musk smell, too, but it's weaker. I assume he takes the top position with his boyfriend most of the time. Also, he does not seem new to it.**

  
  


Jongdae studied Kyungsoo carefully taking in what the lust demon said.

  
  


**Because I'm a lust demon I smell that faster. Your friend is recently sexually active.**

  
  


With who?

  
  


**✞**

  
  


For once, it was Jongdae clinging to Baekhyun after school as they stayed a few dozen students behind Kyungsoo leaving class that day. After Chanyeol's little explanation of why Kyungsoo smelt so bad, Jongdae had to go see. Their group wasn't the type to keep secrets from each other. Well, believable secrets, Jongdae wasn't about to tell Kyungsoo and Zitao he was possessed by a Lust demon. Admitting to being exorcised when he was ten by a lunatic priest that one time his uncle had taken him to America when he first suspected Jongdae of being gay was as deep as it could really get between them. Kyungsoo seemed unaware of their presence behind him. Jongdae had made the excuse that he wanted to talk with teacher Lu about songs after school and Zitao had already ran off to spend the afternoon with Yixing in his herb shop.

  
  


“Would ya let go of my arm already?” Baekhyun said and tugged his black uniform clad arm out of Jongdae's hold. He rubbed it and flattened out the material. “Now I know why you always complain about me when I cling. Damn, it's annoying.”

  
  


Jongdae frowned at Baekhyun. He seemed rumpled and in a bad mood which Jongdae had never seen the exorcist in since they had started living together. “What's up with you? You were like this this morning, too? Usually I don't even see you in the morning.”

  
  


Baekhyun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I'm taking too long. Grandmother thought I'd have Chanyeol out of you already so I had to finally tell her what's really going on. I'm just worried about it.”

  
  


Jongdae patted Baekhyun's shoulder. “It'll be fine. You seem to have a huge network, finding that Sehun demon should be easy, right?”

  
  


Baekhyun shrugged. “Why are we following your friend again? If he has a lover, he has a lover. You'll get use to the smell of spunk after a while.”

  
  


Jongdae raised a brow. “You smell it too?”

  
  


Baekhyun shrugged. “Spiritual power and everything.”

  
  


Kyungsoo was now a good bit ahead of them and Jongdae urged Baekhyun to walk faster when Kyungsoo rounded a corner. “It's not about that, it's that he hasn't told me or Zitao. I did ask Zitao. He's letting a guy fuck him. It's worrying. Kyungsoo might be able to pull your muscle or make you a bit sore when you're not paying attention, but he's pretty defenseless.”

  
  


“Sounds like the perfect bottom to me,” Baekhyun said. “Shouldn't matter if he's getting fucked, right? I mean, aren't all your friends gay? So there’s nothing to judge.”

  
  


Jongdae nodded then turned to Baekhyun. “They are, which I have a question I haven't asked you. Why aren't you freaked out by that? They don't hide it well outside of school. As an exorcist, I thought you'd be against it.”

  
  


“I'm an exorcist, not religious. I also already knew . Oh, and next time you want to make up a story about why I'm here, tell me. No matter how much I want to, I can't be on you twenty-four seven. I had to guess about the 'my uncle invited him' thing .”

  
  


Jongdae tilted his head. _No matter how much I want to, I can't be on you..._

  
  


**Dirty thoughts Mr. Jongdae**.

  
  


Jongdae reddened at the teasing tone of Chanyeol's voice in his head. It had been a weird way of wording things.

  
  


“Your friend is headed for a garden it seems like,” Baekhyun explained.

  
  


Kyungsoo had turned into a park where summer blooms made a sort of maze. Jongdae grabbed Baekhyun's wrist and tugged him along into the maze after Kyungsoo wondering what his friend was doing out here. If he wasn't going somewhere with Zitao or Jongdae, he usually just went straight home.

  
  


“Does your friend like gardens? I'm getting traces of him stopping and smelling the flowers,” Baekhyun whispered. They could hear the rustling of Kyungsoo only a bit away.

  
  


“No, he's not the outdoors type.” Jongdae was confused. Part of the reason he use to make fun of Kyungsoo was for his squeamishness of all things earthy. Jongdae use to throw lizards at him and drop fall leaves over Kyungsoo's head to hear him scream. He hadn't thought Kyungsoo had any interest in flowers. Maybe Chanyeol was wrong and Kyungsoo was dating a dom who liked for him to bring flowers.

  
  


Baekhyun suddenly threw his arm out in front of Jongdae and crouched peering around the corner of one of the bushes. Jongdae knelt down beside him and looked around as well. They had come to one of the clearings in the garden maze where there was a large water fountain. Kyungsoo was sat daintily beside it fiddling with a coin, his school bag and blazer thrown off to the side. Kyungsoo lifted the coin to his lips and kissed each side before flipping it into the fountain. A few seconds ticked by and Jongdae grew annoyed just squatting there until the water in the fountain began to bubble high and higher until a watery figure was standing in the fountain. It reached a flowing hand out towards Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo immediately leaned in, large eyes half lidded and looking up at the figure with softness Jongdae had never seen before. The water figure leaned down touching lips to Kyungsoo's and slowly the water was replaced by snow white skin, blond hair, and a white and gold robe. It was almost like an angel standing in the water, except that angel was whispering sweet nothings into Jongdae's best friend's ear and tugging at his clothes and Jongdae quickly scurried back.

  
  


“What the hell was that?” Jongdae squeaked trying not to be too loud and alarm Kyungsoo and his magical water lover.

  
  


“Charity grace,” Baekhyun explained, his face calm as calm could be.

  
  


**Well that explains the sea salt and old money smell**.

  
  


Jongdae didn't understand what Chanyeol was saying. “What does sea salt and old money smell have to do with a Charity grace? What is a Charity grace?”

  
  


“Oh, did Chanyeol say he smelt sea salt and old money? Why didn't you tell me, I could have told you what it was. I wouldn't have expected Chanyeol to know since graces and demons don't really get along.”

  
  


Jongdae groaned. “What is it? And why are we just letting it fuck my best friend?”

  
  


Baekhyun held up a finger. “One, graces don't 'fuck', they make love. Demons 'fuck'.”

  
  


**Hey, I take offense to that. Tell the exorcist I take offense to that. I don't....that word.**

  
  


Jongdae ignored Chanyeol. “So, what? Kyungsoo's got himself a magical lover?”

  
  


“Pretty much. I don't exorcise graces, they're the 'good' guys. And a Charity grace taking a lover is almost as rare as a Chastity grace. Your friend should feel honored. He will have lots of luck with money.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. “So Kyungsoo gets to make out with a hot angel and I got stuck with the lust demon.”

  
  


**Hey, graces aren't angels, they're the embodiments of virtues. Haven't you ever heard of the Seven Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins?**

  
  


Jongdae had, but he would have rather forgotten about those lessons. “So I'm just supposed to let him off with this?”

  
  


Baekhyun shrugged and started back out of the maze. “Now I never said that. Actually, I would quite like to have a conversation with this grace. Chanyeol would agree that we need to talk to him. Such a high level spiritual creature would certainly know if there's been any Pride demon sitings about.”

  
  


A sudden moan broke out and Jongdae quickly followed Baekhyun out of the maze. “We're definitely talking to Kyungsoo about this.”

  
  


**✞**

  
  


They ended up hanging about the park until Kyungsoo reemerged from the garden maze looking rumpled, but happy, and smelling twice as strong of musk and old money. If Jongdae didn't know any better, he might have thought his friend was prostituting. Just add a bit of alcohol to the mix and Kyungsoo would make the perfect sob story, except Kyungsoo's sugar daddy was a grace of charity. Jongdae suddenly laughed. A Charity grace made perfect sense in this story.

  
  


**Isn't it weird to think of your friend as a hooker?**

  
  


Jongdae frowned. Big party pooping Lust demon.

  
  


Kyungsoo made his way back onto the streets and Jongdae followed him dragging Baekhyun along by the black cuff of his 'old school's' uniform sleeve. He thought it must be convenient to just go to a school for a month and not have to buy a new uniform. Teachers didn't usually get on you for that until the next month and then you could get away with just wearing the sports uniform. Baekhyun ended up being the one dragging Jongdae when Kyungsoo turned into China town. Jongdae hoped his friend hadn't decided to come visit. He would have to explain why he arrived after Kyungsoo with Baekhyun, and that could probably only be explained away if he and Baekhyun started making out seeing as Kyungsoo was already suspicious of the real reason Baekhyun was staying with him while his uncle was out. Or he could tell Kyungsoo the truth. The truth was probably better.

  
  


**You want to make out with Baekhyun?**

  
  


“I didn't say that,” Jongdae muttered. Was that all Chanyeol had gotten out of that?

  
  


“Stop arguing with your demon. Your friend just went into a store over there,” Baekhyun said and pointed.

  
  


Jongdae followed his fingers, his long pretty white fingers, to an oh so familiar store. He smiled and hurried across the street to it. Outside, the little store wasn't much to see. The sign was pretty in white and gold, but the building was just like any other, but if you passed by it, the smell alone would bring you inside. Jongdae easily slid in, the little bell on the door ringing charmingly. Millions of scents filled Jongdae's nose. They were homey wild scents. Herbs, and snacks. At the desk sat a young man with an easy face flipping through a magazine. He lifted his head and smiled, a deep dimple showing easily bringing Jongdae at peace. Jongdae waved then lifted a finger to his lip and pointed toward Kyungsoo in the back. Humor raised the clerk's eyes and he motioned Jongdae to go about his day.

  
  


“Who's that?” Baekhyun asked quietly as they crept up on Kyungsoo in the back of the shop.

  
  


“Yixing.”

  
  


“Oh, Zitao's boyfriend? I like him. He's been blessed by a grace.”

  
  


“Blessed?”

  
  


Baekhyun nodded smiling towards Yixing. “Demons and graces can bless people. It smells like cream cakes in here so I would suspect a blessing of kindness.”

  
  


“Wouldn't a demon curse?”

  
  


**No, but if the person uses their blessing wrong, it can be a curse. I could bless you with lust right now and you would be hard not to desire. It does smell like cream cakes in here, I like your friend's boyfriend, too.**

  
  


Jongdae frowned. He didn't understand demons at all.

  
  


Kyungsoo was looking at the soap selection in the back of the store. Jongdae wondered if maybe he had taken Jongdae saying he stunk to heart and was trying to find some way to cover up the smell. He might be able to get rid of the semen smell, but that was only if he stopped letting that super handsome Charity grace sex him. The sea salt and old money would take never seeing the grace again to go away.

  
  


“You should ask Yixing what soap he uses to make him smell like cream cakes,” Jongdae asked walking up beside Kyungsoo.

  
  


Kyungsoo jumped and looked about. Jongdae looked around, too. Baekhyun had detoured to the cash register and was talking to Yixing and Chanyeol seemed to have taken a nap in Jongdae's head if the light numbness in the back of his mind had any say in it. Jongdae was thankful they had decided to let him do this on his own. He tried smiling at Kyungsoo, but the other boy just looked at him owlishly.

  
  


“I...my soap bar was getting small.”

  
  


“You usually buy soap at the store across from your apartment,” Jongdae said and sniffed a blue one. It smelled like sea salt and he handed it to Kyungsoo. “This one smells like him, right? Baekhyun says it's not a big deal, but I think you should be careful. Also, you're going to have to let us meet him. I'm not going to ignore the fact you're dating a supernatural creature without at least meeting him.”

  
  


“You followed me?” Kyungsoo seemed angry, but more than that, he seemed scared.

  
  


Jongdae nodded. “Like I said, you smelt weird. Chanyeol insisted I follow you.”

  
  


Kyungsoo cocked his head. “Chanyeol?”

  
  


“He's the demon that shares my head. That's what happened over the summer, I got possessed.”

  
  


“Then Baekhyun really is an exorcist and not your secret boyfriend?”

  
  


Jongdae laughed. “Sorry to spoil your dreams. Baekhyun really is an exorcist. He's not here because of my uncle, he's here to exorcise demons. Which is why we need to talk to your grace boyfriend.”

  
  


Kyungsoo took a step back. “He's not going to exorcise Junmyeon is he?”

  
  


“Junmyeon? Well, like I said, Baekhyun doesn't seem worried about you and the grace. He and Chanyeol made a deal and until then, he can't exorcise Chanyeol. They have to talk to your grace. Can we meet him?”

  
  


Kyungsoo sighed. “I'll ask him about it. Can't believe you followed me though.”

  
  


Jongdae reached a hand up and ruffled Kyungsoo's hair. “I can't believe you were fucking all summer break with such a gorgeous entity.”

  
  


Kyungsoo turned red and grabbed Jongdae's arm, twisting it. “Don't say it like that!”

 


	5. Cute is not Always Cute

**5\. Cute is not Always Cute**

 

They went to meet the Charity Grace, Junmyeon, the next day after a meeting with Teacher Lu on their day off. Zitao had a date with Yixing and that was the only way they had managed to keep from being bombarded by texts and calls from Zitao with ideas of ways they could spend their day off until Zitao just finally showed up and dragged them off. Jongdae was not sure how they could bring Zitao into this situation right now. Zitao would cry if he learned Kyungsoo and he were keeping secrets, but it was awkward enough between Kyungsoo and Jongdae right then to add someone else who had nothing to do with anything supernatural into the mix. Jongdae had been adamant about the meeting since Baekhyun wouldn't get out of his ear about it and Chanyeol kept humming as if to remind Jongdae without really reminding Jongdae. Kyungsoo responded by sending angry texts to Jongdae about lying concerning what happened during summer break. It wasn't like Jongdae truly understood what had happened himself, not until Baekhyun had cornered him in the home economics classroom and even then he still didn't understand. He was confused now, too, following Kyungsoo back to the park with Baekhyun clinging to his arm as usual like some koala puppy. He just wanted to make sure this grace creature wasn't going to hurt his best friend.

  
  


They went into the maze and Kyungsoo stopped at the corner around from the grace's fountain. He set a serious expression on his face and began wagging his finger at Jongdae. “You behave yourself. Junmyeon is sweet, okay. Don't go threatening him because I know you will, you threatened all those boys in middle school that had crushes on me after that cross dressing incident.”

  
  


Jongdae held up his hands in defense. “Those guys were treating you like a girl and teased you until you peed your pants. Besides, how am I supposed to threaten a grace?”

  
  


“I could threaten to exorcise him,” Baekhyun piped up.

  
  


“You can do that?”

  
  


**I don't think it's called exorcising** , Chanyeol chimed in.

  
  


Kyungsoo turned his glare to Baekhyun. “Arm. Lock.”

  
  


Baekhyun held his hands up in defense as well at the two simple words, sweat on his forehead as he smiled nervously at Kyungsoo. String beads similar to a rosary fell out of his jacket sleeve, a jacket Jongdae had let him borrow. Jongdae had seen it a few times, and other than Baekhyun's black school uniform, it was the only personal piece of Baekhyun's belongings he had seen. Baekhyun had his school bag in which he never took his homework out of that always laid against the couch where he slept or watched television when not spending his time bothering Jongdae with idle chatter or trying to get a rise out of Chanyeol which usually ended up with Jongdae having a fitful sleep because of the panging headache Chanyeol caused when he was uneasy. He had no luggage as far at Jongdae had seen, no personal items, just the necessities and Jongdae wondered how Baekhyun's grandmother had thought Baekhyun was going to make it in one of the bigger areas of Seoul all by himself with just a backpack. Baekhyun had mentioned graduating three times already. It didn't make sense to Jongdae. He wasn't an adult pretending to be a high schooler. They were the same age.

  
  


Kyungsoo made his way out to the fountain and pulled out a coin.

  
  


“Do you always have to pay him first?” Jongdae asked. If a grace was the opposite of a demon, they wouldn’t really prostitute themselves would they? Or maybe they would, he'd have to ask Chanyeol.

  
  


**I'm a lust demon, not a prostitute.**

  
  


“Would you rather I strip naked and get in the fountain?” Kyungsoo responded and lifted the coin to his lips before throwing it into the fountain.

  
  


Like last time, the water bubbled up into a watery figure that reached out towards Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo approached and it leaned down, cupping Kyungsoo's cheeks in a wet caress before kissing him and taking on a flesh form. The Charity Grace pulled away with a soft smile looking down at Kyungsoo from his higher stage in the fountain then turned soft dark eyes on Jongdae and Baekhyun.

  
  


“My Soo has brought friends...and I smell cinnamon. Is it a friend or a demon?” the grace asked.

  
  


“Both,” Jongdae said. “And you're the Charity grace, Junmyeon?”

  
  


Junmyeon nodded and lifted a leg from the fountain to move and stand before them. Jongdae was caught off guard now that he really had a chance to look at the creature. He looked like an angel, blond hair, white robe with gold trimming and skin sculpted like marble, Jongdae could see the lines of his muscles in the deep v of skin the robe revealed on his chest.

  
  


“You have questions I believe?” Junmyeon said and reached out to bring Kyungsoo into his arms. The motion made Kyungsoo blush and Jongdae would have teased him about it if Kyungsoo's boyfriend didn't happen to be some gorgeous supernatural being. “I won't answer until I know that the exorcist there does not plan to send me back.”

  
  


Baekhyun shrugged. “You're a grace. Don't hurt the cutie and I won’t kick your bootie. My specialty is demons, and this puppy,” Baekhyun gestured toward Jongdae and Jongdae could feel Chanyeol whimper a bit, “is helping me catch a wolf.”

  
  


Junmyeon nodded and pet a hand through Kyungsoo's hair. “I wish to answer the friend's question first.”

  
  


“Where did you meet Kyungsoo and why are you...all touchy with him?” Jongdae asked, censoring himself. He felt like he might get smited if he cussed in front of the grace.

  
  


Junmyeon chuckled. “I saw him reading in the corner of this area during a hot summer day . And I've seen him read during the winter and fall and spring when much younger. I sensed he was a bit lonely. He use to be very dirty and cried before, but he was so young then. I have a gentle spot for dark haired beauties reading so silently.”

  
  


“He, um, I use to come here when we were kids,” Kyungsoo said and gave Jongdae a meaningful look. Jongdae faintly remembered Kyungsoo running off in this direction when he would catch him and bully Kyungsoo. “I got lonely because you and Zitao left and decided to read here, but then I heard you were in the hospital, and I kept coming. And I made a wish in the fountain.”

  
  


“His wish was very sincere, charitable. I won't reveal it because I never reveal any wish that enters my fountain. I have been here many years watching this fountain, urging charity into the hearts of those seeking peace, but I had not fallen in love until now. I will not hurt your dear one. Supernatural creatures do not fall easily.”

  
  


Jongdae frowned. “Sounds fishy, but I'll leave it for now. I'll deal with you when you leave the fountain.”

  
  


“I have no reason to leave this fountain until Kyungsoo leaves his home. I can if I wish, I just do not wish to.”

  
  


Jongdae frowned more at that. He was kinda hoping there was some magical tie between Junmyeon and the fountain.

  
  


“Can I ask my question now?” Baekhyun asked.

  
  


“Yes, but is it your question or the demon's?”

  
  


**Excuse me for a second, Jongdae**.

  
  


Jongdae gasped getting that feeling of being kicked in the back and his vision distorted into that fish bowl like screening. He frowned, or at least he attempted to frown, but he wasn't the one controlling his lips anymore. He imagined himself crossing his arms and pouting. Chanyeol shook Jongdae's body and told him to stop.

  
  


“ **Mr. Grace, sir,”** Chanyeol began, “ **it seems you have been here a while. I am in search of someone. They came up about a week before I did. I tried to follow his trace, but got stuck in this body before I could get very far with the little power I had. I am certain they are around this area, that was where their scent had directed me and all the chatter in the hospital where my vessel stayed for a while indicated he had moved on from Yonggun.”**

  
  


“And who is this that you seek?”

  
  


“His name is Sehun, he's a high level Pride demon,” Baekhyun filled in.

  
  


“ **He's not dangerous or anything, but...well I want to find him and figure out why he came up here. He'll cause too much trouble if he stays here for too long.”**

  
  


“And I want to know _how_ he got up here in the first place,” Baekhyun added.

  
  


Junmyeon's blond brows creased and he held Kyungsoo tighter. “I have sensed the work of pride about a bit more in the wishes thrown into my fountain, but more than that, I am unsure. I will speak to other graces lingering close by. Perhaps I can have more for you then. I promise I will help though. If this will make my Soo happy then it will make me happy.”

  
  


“It will make me happy, Junmyeon,” Kyungsoo said, turning to the grace with wide meaningful eyes. “Thank you.”

  
  


Junmyeon smiled and touched his forehead to Kyungsoo's. “Anything for my Soo.”

  
  


Jongdae made a gagging noise. Chanyeol repeated it. Kyungsoo pushed away from Junmyeon, eyes angry, and for once Jongdae didn't have to experience the sting of Kyungsoo's choke hold.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


White hands appeared out of a dark mist reaching out towards Jongdae. At first, he felt fear and turned away. He was alone, seated on a mirror like floor that just reflected more of the darkness surrounding him. He couldn't move away from his spot though, only stared at the approaching hands. They touched his face, soft butterfly like touches with just finely manicured tips. They traced his sharp jawline then the cat curve of his lips before pressing against them. Jongdae opened his mouth. He meant to speak out, but those long white fingers pushed in. They tugged on his tongue playfully before the other hand moved to stroke Jongdae's neck, fingers still inside his mouth. Jongdae took it as a command and began to suck on the milking white digits. They were long and fine and tasted slightly of honey with an iron aftertaste. The other hand continued to stroke his neck then moved to stroke his shoulder and bicep, taking a firm and familiar grip there. The fingers moved away from his mouth and landed on Jongdae's chest. They slid a wet path down his sternum and it was then that Jongdae noticed he was shirtless.

  
  


The dark mist moved and small pink lips suddenly accompanied the white hands. They were lifted in a smug smile as they inched toward Jongdae. They touched the places the hands had roamed, across his shoulder and up his neck, outlining the shape of Jongdae's jaw then each corner of his mouth before finally landing against Jongdae's lips. Jongdae pressed against them. They were chapped and thin, but sweet. They felt real. Jongdae's first kiss, he couldn't remember, he knew it had been before the one he stole from Kyungsoo those few months when his bullying had been out of a tantrum like crush. He had made out with Zitao once, for kicks, in middle school. The Chinese boy who had beat him up insisted they play spin the bottle not long after they initially became friends. Then Jongdae dated a girl and made out with her in front of his uncle just so he would get off his back about Zitao, the obviously gay Chinese kid he should stop taking karate lessons with. Of course his uncle had slapped him for being inappropriate before marriage, but it had been better than had it been a guy. Also, he had realized being with the girl didn't get him quite as excited as making out with Zitao had and he didn't even like Zitao. Jongdae had experience. Easily, he fell into the motions of a deeper kiss, pushing his own tongue into this hands and lips entity, a kiss as deep as the one with Zitao, but not as sloppy. And he grew warm.

  
  


Another presence accompanied the hands and lips. Legs, settled on either side of Jongdae's hips. Jongdae moved his hands to hold them at the thighs, finger pressing into muscled and milky skin. They felt strong, but small. And suddenly there was a lap against his lap, an organ against his organ, pulsing, excited, and leaking. Jongdae couldn't see it even when he looked between the body of this entity and his own, but he could feel it, knew that it was pink and eager. He could feel it leaking against his abs. The hands were on his shoulders, steadying the entity as they moved their hips against Jongdae's. Jongdae groaned and moved his hands up the entity's thighs to his hips then moved around and grabbed a firm hold of their small but pert bottom. They lifted up, placed more kisses along Jongdae's jaw. Then, suddenly, there was heat encasing Jongdae's organ. It was almost overwhelming. He moaned and held the entity's hips as they began to lift up and down. Jongdae watched their connection, his read organ raging as he moved his hips along, pushing in and out of between milky thighs. His eyes went up a flat white stomach where the entity's member bounced, though not a clear image to Jongdae. He assumed it was still as leaking and excited as it had felt on his stomach. His eyes moved up to pert rose colored nipples and he licked his lips before continue his travel up a long white neck and then he saw the outline of the entity's face. It was small and cute. A small nose, small round ears, dark hair. The entity suddenly leaned back and moaned, more of a whine than anything else of Jongdae's name. It was familiar and echoed in Jongdae's mind. He came too andthen sat up in bed with a start.

  
  


**Have a pleasant dream?**

  
  


It took a moment for Jongdae to register the voice in his head as something away from his dream. He was soaked with sweat and felt wetness in his boxers. He tried not to blush as the realization that Chanyeol might have seen all of that overcame him.

  
  


**I'll save you the embarrassment and say, yes, I did see your dream, kinda.. You know what an audiobook is, right? Of course I changed your voice to someone much more pleasant. I also might have changed those participating in it.**

  
  


Jongdae furrowed his brows. Had the lust demon given him this dream?

  
  


**Nope, your dream. All you. I could give you a starter for a wet dream, but I don't have that much power right now because my vessel refuses to wack it, but this helps a bit.**

  
  


Jongdae frowned. It had been years...honestly Jongdae couldn't remember any previous wet dreams. The last time he had woken up with cum stained undies was in middle school without memory of who he had been involved with in the dream.

  
  


**Wow, you're really the worse vessel for a lust demon, aren't you? Seventeen and you barely even touch yourself.**

  
  


Well, he did have a religion crazed uncle he had to be careful of. Jongdae still didn't feel comfortable talking about this though. He needed to change his underwear, put them in the wash, and take care of things in the shower.

  
  


**Oh, you going to finally jack off for me?**

  
  


Jongdae wasn't going to do anything for Chanyeol. Especially if Chanyeol could audio play his dreams like that. He thought lust demons weren't so perverse.

  
  


**I said we weren't prostitutes. I didn't say we weren't voyeurs.**

  
  


Jongdae felt tired now. How was he supposed to do anything with Chanyeol like this?

  
  


**You won't be able to help yourself. You're too old to be having random wet dreams, but you're going to keep on having them now if you don't take me up on that masturbating thing.**

  
  


Should he ask why? Jongdae shook his head and climbed out of bed.

  
  


**Why? Well, I don't think the exorcist is much to get all wet and bothered by.**

  
  


The exorcist. Jongdae paused in removing his boxers. Byun Baekhyun, the boy sleeping out in the living room at that very moment. The images of white hands and small lips, the image of that face his dream induced mind hadn't quite recognized came crashing down on Jongdae.

  
  


Baekhyun had given him a wet dream.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Jongdae stared at Baekhyun who had began pulling up a chair beside Jongdae's desk every break when they got back to school after the weekend. The good thing about his new spot beside Jongdae's desk was he made the perfect barrier for Kyungsoo's locks and punches, the bad was that he and Zitao did not stop bickering. It was either bickering or gossiping. Also, Chanyeol never shut up about Jongdae's dirty dream the other night which meant Baekhyun sitting beside him that much more of a distraction. Jongdae watched the line of the exorcist’s long white neck adam's apple bobbing as he talked. He watched those small lips as they formed jibs and borderline rude jokes about his friends. He watched the animated movements of Baekhyun's magazine cover worthy hands, the exorcism beads he wore around his wrist clinking beneath the sleeve of his uniform. When Kyungsoo finally had enough, he pulled Baekhyun over to him in a headlock and Jongdae's eyes moved the Baekhyun's face, scrunched up as he struggled, half laughing, half in pain, enjoying himself.

  
  


**Wow, could you maybe chill for five minutes with the Baekhyun thoughts? I know I'm a lust demon, but thing it gets annoying.**

  
  


Jongdae frowned and put his attention on his desk. He couldn't help it. He was just glad Baekhyun hadn't been put in the same class as them. Chanyeol probably would have whined more about it. He just couldn't keep from staring. That morning, he had even made a large breakfast just so all his time could be used up doing that instead of staring at Baekhyun in boxers and one of his t-shirts lounging on the couch with the television on.

  
  


**I was voting you'd daydream about your friend who's sleeping with the grace. Or that blessed guy the other one's dating. You don't know many people, do you?**

  
  


Jongdae knew people, he just wasn't close to many. He wondered why it was Baekhyun, too. But, well, it wasn't like Baekhyun was unattractive. And he was charismatic while still being mysterious. Jongdae reached out for his pen planning to doodle until Baekhyun left back for his classroom, but it was swiped from beneath his hand before he could reach it. Looking up, Jongdae saw the tip of it being chewed by perfect white teeth between pretty little chapped lips.

  
  


Baekhyun was nibbling his pen.

  
  


**Bet you're imagining that pen as another part of you. Wait...no I take that back. Please don't imagine that. I don't know how to turn off the audiobook play through of your thoughts.**

  
  


Jongdae raised his brow as he watched Baekhyun chew on his pen, face scrunching up as he laughed with the others. He didn't really understand what the demon was feeling.

  
  


**I can't feel anything unless I take over. I can only hear you and what you hear. I only smell what you smell, but your scent sense is higher so you can smell the things I would smell if I had my own body. Everything from you is second hand unless I'm in control. And I'm not too excited to be in control again when Kyungsoo is about. That headlock hurt.**

  
  


Jongdae grinned to himself. Then fell to the distraction of Baekhyun's hand on his thigh, patting.

  
  


“See you next break. I'm going to the bathroom before class starts,” Baekhyun said and got up.

  
  


Jongdae watched him leave, eyes roaming the line of his body trying to see if his sleepy mind had got it right in his dream.

  
  


“He's annoying,” Kyungsoo said.

  
  


“You guys were laughing with him,” Jongdae said and turned away when Baekhyun finally made it out of their classroom.

  
  


“Well, he's kinda fun,” Zitao defended. “Seems like a nice guy.”

  
  


“Yeah, I guess,” Kyungsoo agreed. “Still annoying. What do you think, Jongdae, you live with him.”

  
  


Jongdae busied himself with tidying up his desk and stopped when he couldn't find his pen. He chuckled a bit finding it between his legs, probably having slipped from Baekhyun's fingers when he patted Jongdae's thigh. He lifted it up, saw the shiny signs of saliva on the tip and resisted the urge to put it in his mouth.

  
  


“I think he's cute.”

 


	6. To Relieve Stress, Don't Keep it In

**6\. To Relieve Stress, Don't Keep it In**

 

 

On the occasional Thursday morning, the front of Jongdae's school was littered with girls from the school down the street as well as a few others who thought it would be okay to skip their morning classes for the chance to see Wu Yifan, the art teacher of Jongdae's school. He only worked on Thursdays unless there was a meeting , but he usually drove his car right in on those days. On Thursdays, Teacher Wu parked in the school's parking lot across the street and sauntered up between long lines of girls yelling and taking pictures. Teacher Wu was young and dressed like a supermodel and had gone through ten career changes before settling on an art teacher who did shoots for magazines on the side. An ulzzang teacher. Zitao said his indecisiveness came from the push and pull of what his mother wanted (Zitao's step-mother) and what Teacher Wu's father's side wanted. Jongdae didn't really care about all that. He just hated having a bunch of girls screaming as he walked to school, especially when Byun Baekhyun was hanging off his arm smiling and waving to them all.

  
  


“Don't encourage them. The school barely managed to get them settled down enough that they could fire the security guards,” Jongdae said to him, grabbing Baekhyun's hand and holding it stiffly between them.

  
  


Baekhyun frowned and cocked his head. “Why? Are they really that bad? They're here for Zitao's brother, right? I think excited girls are cute.”

  
  


Jongdae squeezed Baekhyun's hand a bit. “You like girls?”

  
  


“Yeah, of course,” Baekhyun answered merrily

  
  


“Oh, but you seemed okay with knowing about Zitao and Kyungsoo,” Jongdae said.

  
  


“And you,” Baekhyun added. “Of course I'm okay with it. I like girls, but I like boys, too.”

  
  


**Bisexual~~~~,** Chanyeol cheered in the back of Jongdae's mind.

  
  


Jongdae gritted his teeth telling the demon to shut up.

  
  


“So, you planning to hold my hand all the way to the classroom or something?” Baekhyun asked.

  
  


Jongdae had almost forgotten, but he didn't let go. “Yeah. I wasn't kidding when I said they go crazy. There's lots of other boys here they like not just Teacher Wu. There's an actor and some trainees and then just boys they think are cute. You might end up one of them.”

  
  


“Why, cuz I'm a cutie?” Baekhyun batted his eyeslashes at Jongdae.

  
  


“Uh, something like that,” Jongdae muttered and didn't say more as they hurried into the school building and to class 2-B.

  
  


“Ah, home sweet home,” Baekhyun said as he pulled up the chair from the desk behind Jongdae's and took his place between Jongdae's desk and Kyungsoo's.

  
  


“Aren't you in class A with the smart kids?” Kyungsoo said moving his juice bottle away from the side of his desk near Baekhyun's. “Why do you always come here?”

  
  


Baekhyun pouted. “I'm not smart, my records just say I am. I find that class boring. Besides, I want to be here with you guys.” He reached over to hug Kyungsoo only to get his wrist slapped by a pen.

  
  


Jongdae shook his head at them and moved into his desk, putting his bag in his lap in order to get his school books out as the top of his desk was occupied by a tanned head of bleached blond hair making whiny sighs. He put his book bag down on the floor and nudged Zitao with the corner of a spiral against his ear on one of his multiple piercings. Zitao just let out another whiny sigh.

  
  


“What's up with him?” Baekhyun asked and nudged Zitao as well, more like kicked his ankle with his shoe getting a swat from the younger boy and a jab with Kyungsoo's pen again.

  
  


“Leave him alone. He doesn't want to talk to anybody,” Kyungsoo said. “I even bribed him with cake.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed. “There's only two people that could make Zitao like this, his boyfriend or his brother.”

  
  


**He smells of cum, I doubt it's the blessed guy.**

  
  


Thank you for your insight, Jongdae thought sarcastically.

  
  


“Did your boyfriend break up with you?” Baekhyun asked peeling the wrapper off a bread. It took a moment for Jongdae to realize it was his bread stolen from his packback he head intended on sneakily eating during second period.

  
  


Zitao lifted his face from Jongdae's desk. He was pouting like a five year old and the usual dark circles under his eyes that gave him that intimidating first impression were darker than usual. “Xing Xing wouldn't break up with me ever.”

  
  


Baekhyun reached out and patted Zitao's hair then broke off a piece of Jongdae's bread, pressing it against Zitao's lips. Zitao nibbled on it.

  
  


“Then something happened between you and Teacher Wu?” Jongdae asked.

  
  


Zitao sat up and nodded. “He's mean. He doesn't care about me anymore.” Zitao's eyes were tearing up.

  
  


“Don't cry. Your brother loves you,” Jongdae assured.

  
  


“Then why did he say we weren't enough? He suddenly started talking about moving to China. They would pay him more, there'd be more air, he'd have more fangirls. He doesn't even like having fangirls.” Zitao sniffed and a small hiccup escaped him.

  
  


Jongdae frowned. “That doesn't sound like him at all.”

  
  


“This morning he used all the soap and used all of his lip balm that I like to steal. And then he spent an hour trying on all his clothes then took my favorite hat,” Zitao complained. “I don't mind sharing clothes, but he didn't even ask.”

  
  


Usually it was Zitao that took his elder brother’s things without asking.

  
  


“Is this all very strange?” Baekhyun whispered to him.

  
  


Jongdae nodded. “Teacher Wu isn't that kind of person. His and Zitao's vanity are about the same, but they're both kind.”

  
  


“And do you know the worse of it? That stupid brother of mine, do you know what he did this morning right before we left? He...He ate all my cake! Cake isn't even his style!”

  
  


Jongdae turned to Kyungsoo, brow raised. Kyungsoo had the same look directed at him. Baekhyun suddenly moved blocking their view of each other, face serious and he handed Zitao a pen and notepad. Jongdae's pen and notepad.

  
  


“Zitao, I want you to take this pen and note pad and write everything your brother does starting from when he started acting the slightest bit greedy or glutinous. If it's still weird by the weekend, I'll come over and purify your place.”

  
  


Zitao blinked down at the notepad then at Baekhyun. “Purify?”

  
  


Baekhyun smiled. “I'm an exorcist, remember? Either your brother is just having a personal crisis or he's got a demon feeding off him.”

  
  


Zitao suddenly brightened up. “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

  
  


Baekhyun stood and stretched. Jongdae reached out and grabbed his hand. “Are you sure that's okay?” he asked softly.

  
  


Baekhyun smiled down at him and used his other hand to pat the hand holding Baekhyun's before just resting his long white fingers on top. “It's my job isn't it?”

  
  


Jongdae let go. Yeah, demons. That was the reason Baekhyun was here.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


At lunch, Zitao dragged Jongdae and Kyungsoo to the cafeteria so they could buy his pain away with cakes and pizza from the snack bar and vending machines. Jongdae's wallet felt significantly lighter afterward and he was glad Kyungsoo planned to cook him lunch that week as a bribe to keep his mouth shut about having a boyfriend to Zitao. Kyungsoo would introduce them once Junmyeon had gotten enough energy to leave his fountain for a whole week. The charity that came with the coins was only enough to last him a day here and there, but Kyungsoo, apparently a very charitable person, gave him twice that much energy every time they made love. The grace had seemed sincere enough when stating his love for his human, but Jongdae thought it weird he had to feed off a human. Chanyeol explained he didn't _have_ to, but Chanyeol had taken over Jongdae's subconscious in order to feed off his lust because it was easier. A higher level demon or grace would feel the same though they didn't need to have a host, sometimes they just stuck themselves to a place.

  
  


Today, Kyungsoo made kimchi spaghetti, what he made most days. Jongdae couldn't complain. Kyungsoo had the best cooking skill of all three of them. Jongdae could get by just cooking for himself and Baekhyun. Zitao was a hopeless case other than pouring Yixing's already prepared cupcake mix into cupcake holders and putting them into an already heated oven and _maybe_ he wouldn't forget they were in there by the time he ate all the frosting. Jongdae twirled his chopsticks in the spaghetti with a frown while Zitao stole noodles out of his bowl not trying to be sneaky about it.

  
  


“Anything new with your brother?” Kyungsoo asked.

  
  


“Apparently he yelled at some students in class today for making crap art,” Zitao said.

  
  


Jongdae raised his brow. “If your brother's art can be considered art then a student would have to be painting with actual crap to be considered crap art.”

  
  


Zitao shrugged. “I only know martial arts.”

  
  


Kyungsoo reached out and patted Zitao's shoulder. “It'll be alright, Zitao, just eat.”

  
  


“I'm just mad about the cake, okay,” Zitao said and started slurping his stolen noodles faster.

  
  


“Where's Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asked. “It's weird he hangs around you during all the other breaks but not lunch.”

  
  


Jongdae shrugged. He found it a bit odd that Baekhyun rarely showed his face during lunch period. He thought his new roommate would be eager to steal his lunch. He had, after all, been stealing , or maybe 'borrowing', money from Jongdae's wallet. He usually had enough to treat a depressed Zitao and buy his own lunch. “I think he has _things_ to do during lunch.” He emphasized _things_ hoping Kyungsoo would understand.

  
  


Kyungsoo nodded and picked up his own chopsticks to eat.

  
  


“Does he like, go to the library and research exorcism stuff?” Zitao asked.

  
  


“Sure,” Jongdae said. It was as good a guess as any. He frowned halfway through his spaghetti and pushed it over towards Zitao. “Finish this, I have to use the restroom.”

  
  


“Hey, did you not like it?” Kyungsoo asked.

  
  


Jongdae shook his head. It had been hard to eat as much as he use to lately. “It's great, I just snacked too much already. I'll see you guys in class.”

  
  


**It's because I'm in here. This is why you should jack off, I can't feed off your fat so your body's not burning as much as it usually does.**

  
  


So, did that mean Jongdae was going to gain weight? Jongdae didn't mind that so much, he was kinda on the tiny side. Baekhyun probably had more weight on his bones than he did.

  
  


**Not if you start jacking off. Then you'll burn off twice as much.**

  
  


Well, there went another reason _not_ to jack off.

  
  


Jongdae stopped suddenly hearing a soft twittering of voices. He peered around a corner to another hallway and saw Teacher Lu talking with that freshman student with the light gold skin. A breeze from the air conditioner blew down towards them and Jongdae wrinkled his nose. Cum.

  
  


**Both of them.**

  
  


Great, not only both his friends, but now his teacher and a freshman were getting some. Jongdae started to walk down the hallway, the kid walking past him done talking to Teacher Lu. Teacher Lu waved at him before going to the teacher lounge and Jongdae saw a dark movement out of the corner of his eye. He frowned and followed it finding Baekhyun behind the corner at the opposite end of the hall in a crouched position.

  
  


“Who in the world are you stalking, Byun Baekhyun?”

  
  


Baekhyun tried to smile his way out of it, but Jongdae reached down and tugged the other boy up. “Come on, it's obviously not me.”

  
  


“And why can't it be you?” Baekhyun defended, pulling his arm away and crossing both over his chest with a pout. “I can still stalk you if I want.”

  
  


“Is there a point when you live with me and are constantly on my arm?”

  
  


Baekhyun sighed. “Alright, fine. Your music teacher is weird.”

  
  


Jongdae raised a brow. “Teacher Lu? I thought you were supposed to be looking at Teacher Wu.”

  
  


“Ah, that's probably just a midlife crisis. Teacher Lu smells funny.”

  
  


“He smells like cum and fresh cut grass, I know, I have meetings with him after school.”

  
  


“That's why I know, too, I hang around during those meetings,” Baekhyun said. “It's a weird smell.”

  
  


“Not really. He likes to join the soccer club a lot, so that's the grass smell. And cum obviously means he has a lover.”

  
  


“He smells like Kyungsoo, not Zitao,” Baekhyun said.

  
  


Jongdae didn't really know the difference himself, but he laughed hearing Baekhyun say it. “I didn't know we had a gay teacher. I really didn't need to know which position he preferred.”

  
  


Baekhyun shrugged. “And he smells like hot cocoa. In the middle of summer.”

  
  


“Jongin smells like hot cocoa. The kid talks to Teacher Lu a lot. Teacher Lu also helps with the dancing club and Jongin's one of their leads.”

  
  


Baekhyun sighed frustrated. “Stop trying to make it make sense. He definitely smells weird.”

  
  


Jongdae smiled softly and moved an arm around Baekhyun's waist. “ Come on, enough work for you. Have you even eaten?”

  
  


Baekhyun shook his head.

  
  


“You took half my wallet and you still haven't eaten? Next time, buy yourself lunch with that or leave my wallet alone and I'll by you lunch.”

  
  


Baekhyun leaned his head on Jongdae's shoulder with a frown and wrinkled his nose. “Okay, but I want whatever you were eating. It smells good.”

  
  


Jongdae laughed. “Do you want Kyungsoo to kill me?”

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Jongdae could hear the water running in the bathroom from where he sat on the couch scratching out word problems in his math book. Baekhyun hadn't let up on the Teacher Lu issue even after Jongdae had managed to convince Kyungsoo to make lunch for Baekhyun as well and he had reluctantly shared his own kimchi spaghetti with the exorcist. Baekhyun had sat in the back of the class while Kyungsoo and he practiced with the rest of the music club. Halfway through, he had actually joined in with the excuse of 'getting closer to Teacher Lu'. He sang. Jongdae had never been more turned on in his life. Kyungsoo and he were the powerhouses of the group, but if Baekhyun was to join them, they could have one amazing trio. And Jongdae remembered Baekhyun mentioning not wanting to be an exorcist. He wanted to be a singer. Jongdae would fall to his knees in order to get that autograph.

  
  


As soon as they had gotten home after picking up chicken to eat for that night's dinner, Baekhyun had pulled off his shirt and headed to the shower. Jongdae barely turned around in time to not see Baekhyun's half naked glory, instead he had went about setting the chicken on the kitchen counter, but he was regretting that now listening to the rush of water like a hum in his ear making it hard to decide the ratio for the amount of times BumKey would get red 7 and red 18 on the weird casino game he was playing. The water stopped and the door opened. Jongdae's head snapped around before he could stop himself.

  
  


Byun Baekhyun was a beautiful specimen. His dark hair was damp and gave a wet puppy look to his puppy face. He had a towel around his neck which kept most of the water dribbling down his hair from running along the plains of his chest. His white, white chest. There wasn't much muscle. Jongdae, though skinnier, thought he had more chest structure than that, but it was just so white and Jongdae could see a bit of a nipple poking out from under the edge of the towel, an erotic color against all that stark white. His belly button was cute, Jongdae decided as his eyes moved lower. He had really nice hips as well. The bone jutted out like a girl's giving Baekhyun a nice curve. Jongdae realized Baekhyun hadn't put on any pants yet. There was a second towel slung low on those nice nippable hips. Jongdae turned away.

  
  


“Hey, we should go buy more shower gel this weekend,” Baekhyun said.

  
  


“Did you use it all up again?” Jongdae asked. “Maybe you should just buy your own so you're not using mine.”

  
  


“But I like yours,” Baekhyun said and came to sit down beside Jongdae.

  
  


Jongdae quickly moved closer to the arm of the couch opposite Baekhyun and tried to curl up with his math book. “Why aren't you wearing clothes?”

  
  


“I don't have any. And I'm out of underwear.”

  
  


Jongdae rolled his eyes. “Then go borrow some of my shorts and a shirt and do the laundry.”

  
  


Baekhyun reached out for the remote and flipped through the channels of the television Jongdae had been keeping off while he worked. “I have a better idea. You do the laundry.”

  
  


Jongdae sighed and stood, putting his math book on the coffee table in front of the couch. “No, I'm taking a shower. If I have to pay for you while you're here then you can at least wash what you use. And you use my clothes.”

  
  


“Ugh, mean much,” Baekhyun complained.

  
  


Jongdae didn't bother responding and hurried to the bathroom, stripping and getting under the shower head that quickly sprayed cold water on him. Did Baekhyun use up all the hot?

  
  


**Why do you have a crush on such a frustrating guy?**

  
  


Jongdae wondered that, too. Who said he had a crush though? It was more like, why did he have to have nightly wet dreams about a certain infuriating exorcist.

  
  


**I do believe that is part of the definition of a crush. But, maybe if you tried masturbating, it would help you loosen up about it. I mean, do it now or wake up with gross underwear which Baekhyun is probably shifting through right now since you told him to do the laundry.**

  
  


Jongdae hadn't thought about that, but Baekhyun probably wasn't going to do the laundry anyways. Still, he hadn't had a full blown wet dream since that one night, but Chanyeol had a point. Jongdae sighed in defeat and reached a hand down. _You better not look_.

  
  


**I can sleep. Have fun.**

  
  


Jongdae felt Chanyeol's presence in the back of his mind suddenly lower to a peaceful hum. He still wasn't sure if Chanyeol actually couldn't see what he was doing or if he was pretending to, but Jongdae hadn't felt this much frustration in a couple years and he slowly started moving his hand on his wet and limp member. Baekhyun. The idiot was probably on the couch laughing at something stupid on television with his legs pressed together like a girls. Jongdae had noticed that, though Baekhyun's personality was outspoken, he sat daintily especially when wearing things too big for him. Or towels were stuff might show if he moved the wrong way. As Jongdae's thumb moved to press over his slit, he imagined going out there and standing behind Baekhyun. He'd lower his hands down his chest, letting his pinkies graze Baekhyun's nipples, poke lightly at that cute belly button, then ease his fingers into the place where Baekhyun's towel was held together. It would come loose, but wouldn't show everything yet. Jongdae would get to see one of Baekhyun's hips totally exposed and he would rub it softly then carefully unwrap Baekhyun's member from beneath the fold of the towel like unwrapping a fragile gift.

  
  


Jongdae's hand started to move up and down his length. He used his other hand to steady himself against the wall as his breathing got faster and he fluttered his eyes closed. He would want to suck Baekhyun off, but he would also want between those white thighs. Maybe Baekhyun would offer to suck him off. Jongdae would come to stand in front of Baekhyun. He'd reach his hand into Baekhyun's wet locks and watch those small lips encase his length. There were probably a great many things Baekhyun could do with his voice if that singing Jongdae had heard in music club had anything to do with it. Ah, he could probably use those pretty white straight teeth well, too. No biting, just light scrapes and nibble maybe around Jongdae's ball area pressing his cute nose against the underside of Jongdae's shaft.

  
  


His end came before Jongdae could envision entering Baekhyun. He pulled his hand away from his length and watched his cum flow off as the moved it beneath the spray of the water. It was a quick bath after that. Jongdae noticed his muscles felt more relaxed than usual and he came out dressed with a towel that smelt like it needed a good cleaning over his hair. Baekhyun wasn't in the living room anymore. He could hear the exorcist chomping down on chicken. His math book was also not on the coffee table. Jongdae went to the kitchen, lips parted to ask when his math book was suddenly thrown at him.

  
  


“Here, I did your homework so you do the laundry,” Baekhyun said seated with one leg under the other at the kitchen table wearing only one of Jongdae's oversized shirts and probably nothing else.

  
  


Jongdae opened the book then rolled his eyes when he saw the notebook pages with little hearts dotting the i's. “Are you trying to make it look like my girlfriend did my homework?”

  
  


“No, I was guessing you'd recopy it so I made it as ridiculous looking as possible,” Baekhyun said and pushed the chicken towards Jongdae.

  
  


Jongdae put his book on the counter and took a seat with a smile. Perhaps he did have a bit of a crush.

 


	7. Do Not Constrain Whom One Can Love

**7\. Do Not Constrain Whom One Can Love**

  
  


Baekhyun had skipped his third period class and was sitting in the desk in front of Jongdae with a hoodie covering his face, sleeping. The student who usually sat there skipped more than not, and when he wasn't, he was sleeping, so the teacher didn't notice, but Jongdae did. He watched the rise and fall of Baekhyun's back wondering why someone would skip their class to sleep in someone else's. And it was math class, too. Maybe it was just boring enough to lull Baekhyun to sleep though Jongdae wasn't sure how that could be when Baekhyun had gotten Jongdae a one hundred on his homework. It was possible Baekhyun had just had this lesson ten times already because of his work as an exorcist.

  
  


Jongdae could feel Kyungsoo looking between him and Baekhyun. He had been looking at Jongdae weird for days now as if he knew. Well, Kyungsoo had always known even before it was an actual thing, Jongdae's crush on Baekhyun, but Jongdae wasn't about to tell him that. Kyungsoo might have been okay with having a relationship with a supernatural creature, but Jongdae was confused about whether he wanted a relationship with an actual human or not. If he discussed this with Kyungsoo, Jongdae wasn't sure if Kyungsoo would say he was dumb and should just go for it or try to convince him that Baekhyun was a little shit and not worth it. Jongdae honestly couldn't tell if Kyungsoo liked Baekhyun or not.

  
  


**I like Baekhyun. I mean, if he wasn't an exorcist I'd like him.**

  
  


Jongdae chuckled. Was there some sort of code that said demons and exorcists couldn't be friends?

  
  


**Yes, but not many exorcists try to be a demon's friend in the first place and any big enough demons are usually here to cause trouble. I had a surge of power when I showed up, but I'm actually pretty weak. Not much reason to go after me.**

  
  


Jongdae thought Chanyeol was plenty to go after, he annoyed Jongdae enough. There was a slight sting in the back of Jongdae's head that told him the Lust Demon had taken offense to that thought.

  
  


The bell signaling the end of third period rang and the teacher was in as much of a rush to leave the classroom as the students were when given a small break. Baekhyun stood up the moment the teacher had left and pushed his hood back, hair sticking up. Jongdae laughed seeing him and reached out a hand to tug on his sleeve.

  
  


“What are you doing, Baekhyun?” he asked.

  
  


Baekhyun flattened his hair out and shook himself. “Sleeping, I have stuff to do. I'll talk to you at lunch, Jongdae. The music room, right?”

  
  


Jongdae watched Baekhyun leave confused by his sudden departure. He looked tired. He had been looking a lot more tired lately.

  
  


“What's up with him?” Kyungsoo asked.

  
  


“I don't know, I think he's been going out at night. Maybe he got a lead.”

  
  


**If he did, I would know. If it's a lead, it's not on Sehun.**

  
  


“He found your other demon?”

  
  


Jongdae shook his head. “Chanyeol says no. It must be someone else...” Jongdae narrowed his eyes. “Baekhyun's been going on about Teacher Lu.”

  
  


“What about Teacher Lu?” Zitao asked coming to take Baekhyun's previous place at the desk in front of Jongdae.

  
  


“Uh..Baekhyun thinks there's a ghost in the music room,” Jongdae quickly made up.

  
  


Zitao's face immediately turned grim. “Don't say that. I hate ghosts.”

  
  


“What do you have to worry about? You don't have any music classes, Zitao,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

  
  


Zitao just pouted. “But you guys do. What would I do if my two best friends got eaten by a ghost?”

  
  


“I would hope you would take vengeance on it with your wushu stick,” Jongdae said.

  
  


“He'd probably drop it mid swing when he saw the ghost,” Kyungsoo joked, face bland. Maybe it wasn't a joke. That was probably what Zitao would do. He could bring down a grown man, but yelled like a little girl when a wisp of light fluttered by his head.

  
  


“I'm going to go see what Baekhyun's up to,” Jongdae said and stood. “If the teacher asks where I am, just tell him I got diarrhea or something embarrassing, I don't really care.”

  
  


“I'll tell him you got syphilis,” Kyungsoo said. “Baekhyun gave it to you.”

  
  


“Baekhyun gave him syphilis? I didn't know they were even sleeping together,” Zitao said and Jongdae groaned, but left explaining things to Kyungsoo. He hoped Kyungsoo didn't tell Zitao about his crush though. Zitao wasn't too good at keeping secrets like that.

  
  


It took a while for Jongdae to locate Baekhyun. With the hoodie on, it was hard to see Baekhyun's black uniform and so Jongdae was forced to follow the color of people's pants. He eventually did find Baekhyun entering the music room. He followed him slowly only to catch Baekhyun just as he crouched by one of the practice room doors and pulled out what looked like lock picks. Jongdae approached him slowly and Baekhyun jumped, only to quickly put a finger up telling Jongdae to be quiet. There was a small click when the lock picks did their job and the door came open a crack. Baekhyun lowered one white hand onto the carpet floor and it lit up so slowly, Jongdae wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't staring at that beautiful white hand. The room inside became just bright enough to see the figures inside, to know who they were and what they were doing, though Jongdae could have probably figured it out with just the noises they were making.

  
  


**Well, who would have thought. Kinky teacher you got there, Jongdae.**

  
  


Kinky indeed. But not Teacher Lu, the boy behind Teacher Lu fucking their music teacher over a practice keyboard, Kim Jongin. What was the freshmen doing fucking their music teacher? And in such a way. Teacher Lu was naked with his tie wrapped around his wrist tied behind his back and Kim Jongin was in his dance practice clothes and they both seemed far too into it to be paying attention to Baekhyun and him watching them.

  
  


Baekhyun slowly closed the door and made a gesture for Jongdae to follow him out to the hallway, pulling a notebook out to jot down notes with weird ruin like symbols in the margins. He slid it back into a pocket then turned to Jongdae. “I told you there was something weird about your music teacher.”

  
  


“Yeah, he's letting a fifteen year old fuck him. That's illegal.”

  
  


Baekhyun shook his head. “He's not fifteen.”

  
  


“Sixteen, same deal.”

  
  


“Not sixteen. He doesn't have an age. One of them is a demon and the other, a Chastity Grace.”

  
  


Jongdae raised a brow. Chastity? Jongdae hadn't seen a single chaste thing in that practice room just then.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Jongdae's voice kept cracking during music practice that afternoon. Kyungsoo gave him weird looks in his spot on the row below Jongdae a few kids to the left. He couldn't help it. Every time he glanced at Teacher Lu in the front of the class he'd remember seeing him bent over the keyboard in one of the practice rooms getting laid by that first year. And if he tried to look past Teacher Lu, then he would see Baekhyun glaring at Teacher's Lu's back with a slight smug smile as he played the piano for the class. Add Chanyeol's occasional little remarks in the back of his mind and Jongdae just wasn't in good condition today. Plus, he was nervous. Baekhyun had drilled it into his head that they were going to speak to Teacher Lu after class today. Approaching some random blond dude who was fucking his friend was one thing, he didn't know Junmyeon and he was protective of Kyungsoo after all those years he treated the other so badly. Talking to his teacher about having relations with a student younger than him and possibly being some sort of heavenly supernatural was another.

  
  


“You sounded horrible,” Kyungsoo said when they went to the water jug set aside at the end of music practice.

  
  


“Chanyeol kept cracking jokes and he wouldn't shut up,” Jongdae blamed.

  
  


**I can't help it. Seeing a Chastity Grace getting done in like that is actually really funny in the otherworld.**

  
  


Jongdae rolled his eyes and took a long swig of water from a paper cup.

  
  


“Ready to get going?” Kyungsoo asked.

  
  


“Ah, actually I have to stay back for a while. Baekhyun has stuff he wants to do with me,” Jongdae explained and got another cup.

  
  


Kyungsoo raised a brow at him. “Oh, I'm sure there is stuff _you_ want him to do with you.”

  
  


Jongdae groaned and nudged Kyungsoo away. His friend just laughed and walked over to where their bags littered the ground before waving his goodbye for the day. With a return wave, Jongdae was left in the music room with Baekhyun and Teacher Lu who were talking idly by the piano. Jongdae approached and caught Baekhyun's eye. He nudged his head toward the door and Jongdae nodded, going over and locking it. Teacher Lu turned at the sound.

  
  


“Oh, Jongdae, you're still here?”

  
  


“Baekhyun lives with me. Can't go home without him,” Jongdae explained and checked the lock before walking over to stand beside Baekhyun.

  
  


“Oh yes, I had forgotten he was your guest. Why is that again? The school doesn't really provide details about this sort of thing. Yanggun must have good music programs, too, in their schools.”

  
  


Baekhyun leaned back against the piano and grinned. “The school doesn't have many details. I'm here because I'm an exorcist, Teacher Lu.”

  
  


Teacher Lu's eyes widened and he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “A-an exorcist? Is that your family's business, Baekhyun?”

  
  


Baekhyun chuckled and Jongdae watched sipping on his water more. He wasn't sure what he was there for. Was he supposed to be the muscle? Well, he might be stronger than Baekhyun and Teacher Lu, but he wouldn't count on that. Probably because he had Chanyeol. That made more sense.

  
  


Baekhyun turned and looked at the clock in the music room. “I think the dance club is getting out right about now. How about we ask Kim Jongin to join us in here?”

  
  


“Kim Jongin? What does he have to do with anything. Do you want to meet him? He comes in here often,” Teacher Lu said. Jongdae could see the side of his lips twitching nervously.

  
  


“Oh, I know that,” Baekhyun said and waved a hand at Teacher Lu. “He also comes in you often, huh?”

  
  


Jongdae suddenly spit his water out having choked on it trying not to laugh. Teacher Lu looked horrified.

  
  


“What in the world are you insinuating?”

  
  


“Jongdae and I saw you getting plowed by Kim Jongin yesterday.” Baekhyun shrugged like it was nothing. “I mean, usually I should report this kind of thing, that's a pretty big age gap even if the teacher does look 8 years old, but the bigger issue here is, what kind of Chastity Grace lets a Sloth Demon fuck them?”

  
  


Teacher Lu looked as if he was about to faint. Baekhyun looked like he'd just stolen candy from a baby.

  
  


**Sloth Demon. The exorcist is good, I couldn't even detect that. They smell like chocolate, but a lot of things smell like chocolate ever since it was discovered.**

  
  


Before Jongdae could respond, he felt something like fear behind him. It was a weird feeling and he couldn't turn around, but he could see it out of his peripheral, a black void like hole suddenly appearing in the middle of the room, Kim Jongin climbing out of it, his hands and eyes glowing black.

  
  


“Wait, Jongin don't!” Teacher Lu yelled.

  
  


Baekhyun already had his beads out and started chanting. The symbol Baekhyun had made Jongdae draw on the music floor with a white crayon earlier in the day suddenly lit up and Kim Jongin was stuck, the dark of his hands fading away, but his eyes were still pitch black as he growled at them. Teacher Lu moved forward, unaffected by the symbol, and wrapped Jongin in his arms.

  
  


“Please, please don't exorcise him. Please,” Teacher Lu begged.

  
  


Baekhyun put his beads away. “I wasn't planning on it. He might be high level, but he's just a sloth demon. They're practically harmless when not actively trying to cause trouble. Parading as a high schooler was a really good idea, though. Students are already lazy enough as it is, a Sloth Demon isn't going to change that.”

  
  


“Then what do you want?” Teacher Lu asked.

  
  


“Well, I'd like to know what is exactly going on,” Jongdae finally piped up. “I know I drew the circle, but you didn't tell me Jongin was a demon. I thought it was a grace circle.”

  
  


“Graces don't use circles, they're harder to capture,” Baekhyun said. “I have to approach any and all supernaturals around if we're to find Sehun.”

  
  


“Sehun?” Jongin piped up. “I knew a Sehun. In middle school.”

  
  


“Was he a Pride Demon?” Jongdae asked. Chanyeol had been chanting about asking them about Sehun ever since Jongin showed up and it was becoming annoying.

  
  


“Well yeah, I could smell that right away. He smelled like dirt and lemons. He went back to the otherworld though.”

  
  


“And you two?” Baekhyun asked.

  
  


“We've been on earth for years and years,” Teacher Lu explained. “You can't have our kind of relationship in the otherworld. They would never accept a demon and a grace together. And we're both high level so it's not like it's easy to go between the two worlds just to meet up. We've been trying our best just to appear human.”

  
  


“Aw, that's kinda cute,” Baekhyun said then held up a finger. “I'll cut you a deal since I find you two cute. If you help us find this Sehun Pride Demon, I won't say anything about this to my family.”

  
  


Teacher Lu sighed. “Does this have to do with that Lust Demon inside my student?”

  
  


Jongdae was surprised by that and turned to Baekhyun. He was surprised as well.

  
  


“We agree to help, I'd like the Lust Demon gone as well as any Pride Demon. Even if he's not feeding, he's still effecting those around him. Jongdae seems to be a strong eminator of his powers. It's hard keeping our hands off each other and I imagine it must be twice as hard for his friends.”

  
  


If Jongdae could glare at Chanyeol right then, he would have.

  
  


**✞**

  
  


Jongdae was currently ignoring Chanyeol, or at least ignoring as much you could a deep raspy voice echoing from the back of your mind with a bigger want for attention than your subconscious guilt tripping. Chanyeol kept doing everything he could to get Jongdae to respond. He kept cracking jokes about Chastity Graces which were probably funnier in the otherworld than in Jongdae's bedroom as he tried to study for a test coming up after getting back from their meeting with Teacher Lu and Kim Jongin. It was his fault Zitao had started smelling twice as bad as usual with cum and Kyungsoo's sudden use of cologne couldn't bathe the stink. Teacher Lu had said that a Lust Demon being close by would make those around be more lustful, but here sat Jongdae trying not to put his hand down his pants with the object of his affection out in the living room talking to Zitao, _his_ friend, on _his_ phone. A Lust Demon. Why had he been possessed by a Lust Demon? Why not a Sloth Demon or a Gluttony Demon. At least then he would just have to eat or sleep all the time. Not jack off.

  
  


**You know, most kids would be happy to get off.**

  
  


Jongdae wasn't a kid. He didn't find masturbating all that fun. What would be fun would be to have Baekhyun do all those things Jongdae liked imagining him doing. But, was Baekhyun even a virgin? It wasn't something Jongdae had particularly thought about, or at least tried not to think about until right then. He knew Baekhyun didn't get out much with all his exorcist training, but he was also an over friendly guy who seemed like he would get along well with lots of people. And Baekhyun had admitted to being bisexual so there could have been some girls back in his hometown or when out working. Jongdae wouldn't have been surprised if Baekhyun had had a few partners already. He was far from ugly and charming in an annoying way. That was why Jongdae liked him.

  
  


What was really bothering Jongdae, though, was the fact everyone else was getting laid and Jongdae was not. He shouldn't be taking this out on the demon by ignoring Chanyeol, but he couldn't help it. He had been surprised when Zitao had said Yixing had agreed to date him and even more so when Zitao had come in to class with a shit eating grin after one certain weekend with a limping Yixing joining them at lunch last year. Kyungsoo, well Kyungsoo getting laid shouldn't have been a surprise to Jongdae seeing as how many boys actually had crushes on him, but with Kyungsoo's personality, Jongdae had calculated he, himself, would have sex first. He had been wrong.

  
  


**It's not hard to have sex. I don't encourage you go out and just to do it though.**

  
  


Jongdae wasn't planning on it. He sat up when there was a light knock on his door followed by Baekhyun's head poking in.

  
  


“Jongdae? Hey, I need to talk to you,” Baekhyun said.

  
  


“Yeah, sure, come in,” Jongdae said and pushed his study material to the side so Baekhyun could plop down on the bed beside him. Baekhyun took his desk chair instead and threw a stack of magazines in the cleared spot he had brought in. “I've got something that isn't much of a favor since you're probably doing it anyways to ask you.”

  
  


Jongdae raised a brow at Baekhyun then picked up one of the magazines. Porn. Heterosexual porn. “What's this?”

  
  


“Okay, here's the deal,” Baekhyun started. “I need you to masturbate.”

  
  


“In front of you?” Jongdae asked and his heart might have done a little joyful leap.

  
  


Baekhyun blinked at him then waved a hand, a pretty long fingered hand. “No, no, just in general. The thing is, I need Chanyeol. I don't like the idea of him possessing your body, but with the Sloth Demon knowing who Sehun is, we're going to have to start looking around for him and I need Chanyeol for that.”

  
  


“Can't I just come along and be the in between guy?” Jongdae asked.

  
  


Baekhyun's face got serious. “No, it's too dangerous. If we really find Sehun, I think it would be better for Chanyeol's retainer to stay here. I need him in his own body. He'll be stronger that way. The most he'll be able to get at a time is two hours, but that's good enough for him to tell me yes or no. He can't really see what you see. I need _his_ eyes.”

  
  


Jongdae started flipping through the magazine. “You know I'm part of this, too. Are you trying to seclude me?”

  
  


Baekhyun sighed. “Jongdae, you're a good guy. I don't want to get you more involved then you already are. If Chanyeol can have his own body, that's less that you have to worry about. I can't let you get hurt. I wouldn't be doing my job if I did.”

  
  


Jongdae blew softly out between his lips. “Where'd you get the magazines? These aren't mine.”

  
  


“I found them in your uncle's room. Figured he confiscated them. If they're not yours then happy birthday.”

  
  


Jongdae lifted up the magazine and showed Baekhyun a picture of a spread eagle girl in a nurse' outfit. “I'm gay.”

  
  


Baekhyun's eyes widened then he started nodding, the tips of his ears turning red. “I-I know that. I mean you didn’t really confirm it, but you haven’t denied it yet either. It wasn’t like there was any gay porn in his room, though.”

  
  


“You shouldn't be snooping around my uncle's room,” Jongdae said with a twitch of amusement playing at his lips. “But, it's not like I need magazines you know. Like you said, I'm probably doing it anyways.”

  
  


“Right,” Baekhyun said and stood. “Oh, so I'm actually going over to Zitao's to do a purification ritual. It should take a couple hours, so...”

  
  


Jongdae laughed. “So you do want me to masturbate right now.”

  
  


“No, no, not in front of me. Maybe later. I mean, masturbate later. When I'm not here.” Baekhyun moved back towards Jongdae's door, white face now brushed pink. “I'm heading out now, leave me some dinner. I want curry.”

  
  


Jongdae watched as his bedroom door closed.

  
  


_**'I wouldn't be doing my job if I did'**_ Chanyeol suddenly piped, trying to mimic Baekhyun's voice. **What bullshit is that? Real exorcists take the risks. I think you should cum in his curry.**

  
  


Jongdae laughed. At least one of them could tell when Byun Baekhyun was lying. _I can't let you get hurt_ , he had said. And without the bullshit add on, Jongdae thought Byun Baekhyun was actually kind of sweet.

 


	8. The First Move Doesn't Need Splendor

**8\. The First Move Doesn't Need Splendor**

 

“You know what would be a great idea?” Baekhyun asked. He had taken the seat of the student who usually sat behind Jongdae who was absent today instead of pulling a chair up between Jongdae and Kyungsoo.

 

“What?” Jongdae asked leaning back so Zitao and Kyungsoo couldn't hear, not that they were listening. Kyungsoo was in study mode, his eyes like that of some lost child while he looked at his math book, and Zitao was clicking away on his cellphone with that stupid grin that meant he was either sexting Yixing or filling Yixing's phone with sappy love notes. Not that there was much difference between the two, Jongdae had stolen Zitao's phone once to see.

 

“You going and masturbating in the bathroom during fifth period break.”

 

Jongdae turned red and wished he knew Kyungsoo's secret to a good headlock. He was in perfect headlock position. He was also in good kissing position, but he tried not to think about how close Baekhyun's lips were to his ear leaned back like this, or how easy it would be for Baekhyun to comb his hands through Jongdae's hair and lull him to sleep. “Why, do you have some weird fetish for watching people spurt cum on public bathroom stalls?”

 

He knew Baekhyun was making a face. “No, I'm not going to be there. And where I fantasize cum being is my business.”

 

“So you do think about it.”

 

Baekhyun tugged on Jongdae's ear. Jongdae laughed. Teasing Baekhyun had become his new favorite thing.

 

“That's not what I meant,” Baekhyun said and lowered his voice. “I really need Chanyeol. It took a while, but I finally convinced Jongin to go see Junmyeon. It seems our Charity Grace doesn't care if a grace and demon are lovers so they're working together. Junmyeon said he might have seen a group with someone that smelt a bit like a pride demon, but they were too far away to pinpoint which one they were.”

 

 **I could have pointed him out.** Chanyeol's voice was excited.

 

“What did he say?” Baekhyun asked. “Your eyes go all far away for a second when you're listening to him.”

 

“Oh, he said he could have pointed Sehun out,” Jongdae repeated.

 

“Exactly, that's why I need him. Look, if you can masturbate at least twice everyday until the weekend, I think we can let Chanyeol out long enough to spot Sehun.”

 

“I'm rubbing it enough as it is, Baekhyun. You might need to give me more to go on if you want me to do it more,” Jongdae said and grinned at Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun's lips twitched and he bent his head, the tips of his ears red as he wrote a web address on Jongdae's hand. “There.”

 

“Why do you know about this?” Jongdae said looking at his hand. It was actually his favorite porn site.

 

“Hey, I do it, too. Not as often as I'd like, but I'm busy.”

 

You could help him with that, Jongdae.

 

Shut up Chanyeol, Jongdae hissed in his head. He didn't need those thoughts right now or he would have to disappear to the bathroom before fifth period.

 

“Maybe you should do it then. Can't Chanyeol just feed off your sexual energy?”

 

“No, or else I think just hanging around your friends would have been enough,” Baekhyun said. “It has to come from his host. Honestly , it would be best if you had a lover.”

 

He could be your lover.

 

Shut up, Chanyeol!

 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at Jongdae. “You're arguing with him aren't you?”

 

“He's just making jokes again. I really don't understand how Chastity Grace jokes are funny.”

 

Baekhyun shrugged. “They're not, they're mean. Sloth demon jokes are funny though. Sloth demons are too lazy to care.”

 

ChastityxSloth jokes are funny. It must take hours for either of them to cum. I don't think a Chastity Grace would really care. They probably like it slow.

 

It hadn't looked slow when Jongdae had caught Teacher Lu and Kim Jongin in the music room.

 

“Junmyeon traveled by the water system to find Sehun since he's still not leaving his fountain. It lets him get farther without using his energy. He did go pretty far. I can have Jongin and Teacher Lu stake out the area for any smells, but I'm going to need Chanyeol's eyes, not yours. We'll have to bring you along though. Do you like cafe's? Or maybe a karaoke room would be better. You might end up falling asleep after Chanyeol leaves your body. He'll only be able to be out for about an hour if you get it off a couple times that morning.”

 

Jongdae sighed. “You're going to end up rubbing me raw.”

 

“I'm not rubbing nothing,” Baekhyun said.

 

He could be.

 

Jongdae gave up. Sure, why not let his imagination run wild?

 

“Ah,” Zitao suddenly complained from the desk in front of Jongdae.

 

“What?” Kyungsoo asked popping his head up from his book.

 

Zitao was pouting. “Teacher Lu said he's not going to be here for the rest of the day. I just got the text.”

 

“Why are you getting texts from the music teacher?” Jongdae asked and reached out for Zitao's phone reading the message then looking over to Baekhyun. Baekhyun nodded and Jongdae knew what Teacher Lu was up to this afternoon. “It says he's keeping the music room opened though. No practice this afternoon unless we want to.”

 

“Teacher Lu is my brother's friend,” Zitao said and took the phone back.

 

“Speaking of your brother, how did the exorcism go?” Kyungsoo asked folding his book for the moment.

 

“Oh, great. He seemed a lot cheerier this morning,” Zitao said then turned to Baekhyun. “Thanks a lot. I was really worried. Though, he hasn't eaten anything since last night.”

 

“That's probably just a side effect. I only did a very basic ritual. It didn't seem like there was anything there so it must just have been a small something, or leftovers from something else. Bad energy,” Baekhyun explained. “Just continue keeping an eye out for him and keep that charm I gave you around your neck.”

 

Zitao pulled out a little metal pendent from under his uniform collar that looked like an hourglass and showed it. “This? It looks too cool to be a charm?”

 

“It's metal blessed by Diligence,” Baekhyun said then stood. “Class is about to start, I should get going. I didn't bring my hood today to sleep.”

 

Jongdae reached out as Baekhyun moved past him, fingers wrapping around Baekhyun's thin white wrist where his ritual beads were. Baekhyun looked down at him surprised. Jongdae tightened his grip and swallowed. “We'll talk more at lunch, alright?”

 

Baekhyun nodded and waited for Jongdae to let go of his wrist. Jongdae almost didn't.

 

What was that?

 

Jongdae wanted to blame Chanyeol, but his heart was beating too fast. He had let Chanyeol's side comments let his imagination free and his imagination was urging him to do one thing: Go for it.

 

**✞**

 

Initially, Jongdae went with Kyungsoo and Zitao to the cafeteria. Since the music teacher was out, Kyungsoo had no interest in eating in the music room as they'd probably get in trouble without Teacher Lu there. Zitao had clung to them both anyways, and started pulling them to the cafeteria trying to get them to buy him snacks. It was times like this that Jongdae wished Yixing hadn't graduated already. Even when he didn't buy Zitao snacks, he could get Zitao to stop asking for them and get them himself and Zitao would even buy snacks for Yixing who loved them as much as his younger boyfriend. Now that Jongdae thought about it, that's usually what happened and maybe Yixing had just been tricking Zitao into buying him snacks. Blessed by Kindness Jongdae's ass.

 

“Kimchi spaghetti,” Kyungsoo said and shook a tupperware container at Jongdae.

 

Jongdae reached over for the over large container and pulled the top opened eating half and stuffing the other half into his bag.

 

“Do you really have to feed that guy? I'm only feeding you because of that thing you did, but do I have to feed him too?” Kyungsoo asked. “He doesn't even sit with us at lunch.”

 

“I can't have Baekhyun turning into a toothpick,” Jongdae said. “Besides, he helped you, too, and he's busy during lunch.”

 

“What did he help you with? I'll help you if you make me lunch,” Zitao said.

 

Jongdae glanced at their younger friend then shook his head and stood from the table. “I have to go find Baekhyun, I'll see you guys in class.”

 

In the hall, Jongdae adjusted his bag on his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his school jacket pockets. He had told Baekhyun they would talk, but he was too antsy to wait for Baekhyun to come find him. What if the exorcist didn't show up until the last five minutes. Jongdae decided a quick scan of the halls would be good and then maybe he would sit in the music room now that he had no food to get in trouble with and practice his piano skills which were majorly lacking. Jongdae didn't find Baekhyun in the home economics room where Jongdae had first learned about his possession. He didn't find Baekhyun prowling at the window that overlooked the soccer field where Jongin usually was during lunch or spying on Teacher Wu which Jongdae had learned Baekhyun had been doing in order to help Zitao.

 

**Pretty helpful, isn't he?**

 

Now that Jongdae thought about it, had Baekhyun gotten paid for purifying Zitao's place? He would ask once he found the exorcist.

 

**I hear music. It's nice.**

 

Jongdae heard it, too. Of course he heard it, but he hadn't been paying attention until Chanyeol pointed it out. He had already planned on heading that way, so Jongdae followed the smooth clean notes coming from the single grand piano in the music room. Jongdae peeked in and saw a lone white figure in black sitting at the piano with only the dim light of afternoon lighting him from between the cracks in the curtains. Jongdae moved in carefully as to not change the lighting of the room too much and have Baekhyun stop playing. He flattened himself against the wall by the door, arms and legs crossed, and watched as Baekhyun played, a good view of the exorcist's profile on show for him. Baekhyun's long pretty fingers moved with elegance across the keys, but they weren't taunt with hesitation as if not used quite as much as their owner would like on the instrument. Baekhyun's face was serene, though. His lashes touched in a soft butterfly kiss and his small lips were spread as he breath softly and it was only then that Jongdae realized Baekhyun was humming. Jongdae pushed himself off the wall and moved closer, eager to ear the soft honey hum of Byun Baekhyun's voice.

 

“Has anyone ever told you you have a voice like honey?” Jongdae asked, a slow grin pulling his lips into a cat like smile when Baekhyun suddenly jumped in his seat, fingers hitting the piano keys in an eerie chord.

 

“Oh, Jongdae. Um...they've said I have a nice voice. Honey isn't a word I've heard yet,” Baekhyun said and his ears were definitely red. He moved his hands from the piano and put them in his lap.

 

“You don't have to stop playing just because I showed up,” Jongdae said and made a motion with his hand for Baekhyun to continue.

 

“You said you wanted to talk? I meant to go find you after I finished the song.”

 

“It's fine, we can talk and play at the same time. Please continue, You're really good at the piano, too.”

 

Baekhyun wrung his hands together then stretched out his arms before beginning to play again. “My grandmother had a piano. There was a cousin that lived with us and he taught me how to get girls with the piano.”

 

“Girls? How exactly do you do that?”

 

“Well, for one, you have to switch up the melody to something sad and sexy,” Baekhyun said and his fingers easily flowed into a different song. “Then just as it gets to the chorus, you look up at them, raise your brow a bit, then smile.”

 

Baekhyun showed Jongdae the expression. Jongdae's heart did a little flip and he tried not to make it obvious as he rubbed at his chest.

 

“That's pretty cheesy,” Jongdae said.

 

Baekhyun laughed. “I've never actually tried it before, but I liked playing so I dealt with his odd lessons. Grandmother didn't approve of it, though.”

 

Jongdae moved and leaned against the piano. “Why can't you be a musician, Baekhyun. You said you wanted to do music.”

 

Baekhyun sighed as his song switched up again. “My family is very big, but there are only seven of us that have the power to exorcise. Two of them are in North Korea and one's in the military right now. I had to go to a school that would let me graduate early and then I've had to pose as a senior twice for work. When you're given great power, you're also given great responsibility. And with so few of us with the power compared to a hundred years ago, I can't really refuse the job.”

 

“Why the sudden decline in exorcists?” Jongdae asked.

 

“Humans started making their own demons so the ones from the other world aren't so many, but there's quite a few graces roaming about. I just want to do a good job until I have to go into the military. Maybe I'll run away after that. It's still a long ways away, isn't it?”

 

Silence fell between them and Jongdae stared out the gap in the curtain just listening to Baekhyun's fingers move against the kesy. A slow smile returned and he straightened up. “I know this song,” he said and started singing.

 

Baekhyun laughed. “If I sound like honey, you sound like a whole brass ensemble on your own. I'm going to pick the speed up a bit.”

 

Jongdae easily followed along even through his smile. Baekhyun looked so serene playing that piano and there was that humming again, this time harmonizing with Jongdae. Jongdae had to stop at the last verse and watch Baekhyun as he sang it on his own not realizing the absence of Jongdae's voice or his presence as Jongdae leaned across the piano and lightly grazed his fingers along Baekhyun's jaw. Baekhyun jumped, eyes opening, only partially, fingers hitting the wrong keys, but easily getting back into the song. He looked at Jongdae's hand then at Jongdae.

 

“Shh,” Jongdae said softly and caressed Baekhyun's jaw with butterfly touches as he leaned in. “Just keep playing.”

 

When Jongdae's lips came in contact with Baekhyun's, he half expected the exorcist to push him away and land a swift kick to his head (Baekhyun seemed like a kicker), but was pleasantly surprised when, after only a few seconds, Baekhyun's lips pressed against his in return. Jongdae tilted his head to the side, pressed a little harder, but kept the kiss sweet and light and didn't move away until he felt Baekhyun lift a pretty hand to his chest and press the pads of his fingers into the material of Jongdae's school uniform, pushing him away or just settling himself, Jongdae wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to try for more. He pulled away with an added peck, only enough so he wasn't too dangerously close to kissing Baekhyun again, and smiled, fingers still on Baekhyun's jaw. Baekhyun was tinted pink, lips slightly parted and eyes confused. Jongdae let out a soft breathy laugh, but didn't move away.

 

“You stopped playing,” Jongdae finally said.

 

Baekhyun only stared at him, eyes slowly widening. The bell rang before he could respond.

 

**✞**

  


Soft comforting fingers combed through Jongdae's hair as he laid his head on the counter that was stained with the smell of the hundreds of herbs that had been spread across it over the years. It was a comforting place to be after school and Yixing's fingers were the best medicine for an uneasy heart. Jongdae had always been jealous of Zitao for getting all the petting he wanted from Yixing.

 

“So, you kissed that boy from the other day?” Yixing asked His voice was airy keeping the entrance to the conversation light though it was heavy for Jongdae to think about.

 

“Yeah,” Jongdae said and scooted closer to Yixing behind the herb counter without lifting his head from the counter and away from Yixing's gentle hands.

 

“And?” Yixing coaxed.

 

“He left after the bell rang and I haven't seen him since.”

 

“Do you see him often throughout the day?”

 

No, at least not in the afternoon. Jongdae knew Baekhyun was busy with this and that between classes, but they always walked home together. They were suppose to walk home together, but Jongdae couldn't find Baekhyun anywhere. The exorcist knew they weren't having music practice after school. “We always walk home together no matter if I see him during school. He's staying with me.”

 

Yixing's fingers moved to comb through Jongdae's bangs. “But you said he kissed you back. You came in here depressed but then started gloating about how he had kissed you back.”

 

Baekhyun had kissed him back and it was only Chanyeol reassurance that allowed Jongdae to continue to believe that. It could have been a dream otherwise. Jongdae could have made it up in his mind when he had kissed Baekhyun, the press of those small lips, slightly wet and slightly parted.

 

**You didn't make it up, he definitely kissed you back.**

 

“Maybe he's just scared to confront you right now,” Yixing offered. “If he wasn't expecting you to kiss him, he probably has to think about a few things before you talk.”

 

Jongdae sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

Yixing removed his fingers from Jogndae's hair and patted his head. “Move along now. He has to come back to your apartment sometime so you might as well be waiting for him. Plus, Zitao's coming over and he'll get jealous if I'm petting you.”

 

“You like it when he's jealous. You make him calming tea and then put herbs good for libido in it then go all night. Zitao gets his phone diary and his texts messed up sometimes so I know all your guy's kinky little plays,” Jongdae said as he stood from his seat behind the counter with Yixing.

 

“Yes, well, you'll have your own kinks when you're in a relationship,” Yixing said and turned to adjust the music on his Ipod on a shelf behind the counter.

 

Jongdae reached down and grabbed his school bag. He didn't know when he would ever be in a relationship.

 

Just as he had guessed, the apartment was empty when Jongdae finally got home, arms full of food from the restaurant below. He placed the boxes on the small kitchen table along with his bag and made his way for the shower. He had picked up more shower gel and wanted to use it before Baekhyun got his hands on it and made a mess. Lathering it on, Jongdae remembered Baekhyun had said he liked the smell of Jongdae's shower gel. Did that mean he just liked the smell or did he like Jongdae's smell? Was Jongdae reading too much into this? There were little things Baekhyun did that suggested the exorcist was attracted to Jongdae as well, but given the other's history, maybe Baekhyun just wouldn't admit it.

 

Jongdae lifted his lathered hands to his face. They smelled like Baekhyun. Recently, the exorcist smelled like Jongdae. He smelled like a few other things, too, but Jongdae didn't know where they came from, they were just Baekhyun smells and Jongdae could still remember them as fresh as lunch when he had kissed Baekhyun. His lips had been chapped, but still soft. He had kissed back. Jongdae lathered himself down to his penis and began stroking the organ. He wanted to kiss Baekhyun more, cover the white expanse of his neck in kisses and hide hickeys under his shirt. He wanted to roam his hands along what he was sure were strong milky thighs. He wanted a lot of things from Byun Baekhyun, things he had never wanted from someone else. Just give him time, Jongdae thought and spurted against the tile wall.

 

Baekhyun didn't come home until Jongdae was curled up in bed.

 


	9. Not Talking Doesn't Help

**9\. Not Talking Doesn't Help**

 

 

    It was hot. Only a couple weeks away from autumn and Jongdae's shirt was clinging to his chest as he laid on the couch flipping mindlessly through channels on the muted television. School had gotten out early for one reason or another, Jongdae could have cared less. What he did care about was the fact there had been no Baekhyun to walk to school with and no Baekhyun to walk home. He had seen Baekhyun once during a break, but he just came in, took the kid's desk in front of Jongdae, and slept for a class period. There eyes hadn't even met though Jongdae probably looked like an idiot doing his best to get Baekhyun to look at him. He felt extremely saddened by the lack of attention the exorcist was giving him. And he had a demon inside of him! Baekhyun couldn't keep ignoring him like this just because of a kiss.

 

**Maybe it was his first kiss.**

 

Jongdae didn't think Chanyeol's words of comfort were very comforting. Honestly, he just wanted Chanyeol to stay a low hum in the back of his mind. Baekhyun had kissed back and it didn't feel like an inexperienced kiss. And for someone like Baekhyun to go kissless until this age was unimaginable. Baekhyun was amazing. Cute, bubbly, a little annoying, and mysterious. After only a month of knowing Byun Baekhyun, Jongdae realized he really did like him.

 

He had kissed back.

 

**That's what's got you up in knots, huh? He really did kiss you back. I'm a witness.**

 

Chanyeol's assurance was the only thing keeping Jongdae from thinking that Baekhyun just wasn't attracted to him and the distance suddenly between them was because Baekhyun felt awkward about it. Like Yixing said, maybe Baekhyun just needed time. For all Jongdae knew, Baekhyun could have had a boyfriend or girlfriend he only recently broke up with and might be weighing his options. There were so many things Baekhyun could be thinking and most of them probably didn't even have anything to do with Jongdae and their kiss in the music room. Jongdae needed to stay calm. He would talk to Baekhyun when he got the chance.

 

**It's almost three o'clock, didn't you say you were going to Kyungsoo's?**

 

Jongdae finally just turned off the television and sat up. Chanyeol should know very well Jongdae had no plans on going to Kyungsoo's living inside his head. He had sent a text to Baekhyun when the other didn't show up for an hour after school saying he was going to go play with Kyungsoo and that Baekhyun should find his own lunch. It was a ruse to get Baekhyun to come home.

 

“I'm going to my room and getting on the laptop. Tell me when Baekhyun shows up,” Jongdae said out loud and stood with a yawn and a stretch.

 

**You going to go jack off?**

 

That was a fair assumption.

 

**I thought you only did that in the shower. Go for it though, I'm game.**

Of course he was. Jongdae hurried to his room. After some quick online shopping as his mouse hovered over his chosen porn video, he heard the click of the front door and quietly turned the computer off. He waited a while as feet padded across the carpet in the living room to the tiled linoleum in the kitchen. He thought he heard the stove being turned on and waited a few minutes before quietly creeping out of his room.

 

Byun Baekhyun was at the stove stirring a small pot. He had on shorts Jongdae had never seen before and guessed Baekhyun had finally gone shopping or taken off Zitao when he went over for a secondary inspection of their house. They showed off a great expanse of Baekhyun's ghost white legs, a little hairy, but Jongdae didn't really expect Baekhyun to be too fair or to shave when he usually just wore his black school uniform. Jongdae was use to it as Baekhyun usually walked around the house with nothing covering his legs, but Jongdae also avoided looking at Baekhyun's legs when he was in nothing but boxers and an oversized t-shirt. He had his school dress shirt on with it, ends tucked into his shorts with a belt Jongdae did know and had been looking for that morning. He actually looked quite fashionable and Jongdae was careful as he moved up behind Baekhyun.

 

“Boo!”

 

Baekhyun jumped about three feet into the air, hand hitting the handle of the pot so a little water fell out and the stove made a small hissing noise. He turned, eyes wide and put a hand on his chest. It took him no time to regain the ability to speak and he reached out slapping Jongdae's chest. “Aish, really? Why would you do that? Zitao's house is scary enough. You said you weren't going to be here.”

 

Jongdae laughed feeling happy now that Baekhyun had talked to him. “You went to Zitao's?”

 

“Yes, to inspect it again.” Baekhyun turned and grabbed a towel, wiping up the spilt water. “You said you weren't going to be here,” he repeated.

 

“I decided to let Kyungsoo have some grace time.”

 

“Oh, and you didn't text me about it?” Baekhyun asked sticking the ramyun noodles into the not yet boiling water.

 

“I shouldn't have to, it's my house,” Jongdae said and reached out for the packet to see what Baekhyun was cooking. “You can cook?”

 

“Just ramyun,” Baekhyun said. “You should have gotten food if you were here.”

 

“Didn't have time, been working on that request of yours,” Jongdae said and counted the seconds before Baekhyun's ears turned red as what Jongdae met hit him.

 

“You don't have to tell me when you do it.”

 

Jongdae nodded and put the packaging back, pushing Baekhyun over a bit to take control of the noodle stirring. “So, about the music room.”

 

Baekhyun was leaned against the sink reading the package. He was silent for a few seconds and Jongdae peeked at him to see his lips pursed. “Well, Luhan said he smelled a pride demon again. He almost pinpointed him, but there was a horde of schoolkids. He thought he must be one of them.”

 

Sehun could definitely be a high schooler.

 

“Chanyeol agrees with that thought,” Jongdae said then put the lid on the noodles and went to the fridge. “But, that's not what I meant.”

 

“Oh? Was it about the songs, I don't think I'd be very good with teaching you to play the piano, but I think we could get Teacher Lu to let us do a duet for a grade if you want. I don't need the grade, but I don't mind helping.”

 

He was beating around the bush. Jongdae pulled out a few vegetables and the cutting board and moved over to Baekhyun and placed them behind him. He could see Baekhyun's ears turning very red being suddenly trapped between Jongdae's arms and the counter and so he turned around.

 

“Cut these,” Jongdae said, his voice low. If Baekhyun wouldn't talk about it then Jongdae would just tease him until he gave him a yes or no or some sort of answer in between.

 

“Okay,” Baekhyun said. His voice wasn't shaky, but when Jongdae didn't move, his cheeks joined in blushing with his ears.

 

He was really too cute. Jongdae was standing right there. He could so easily just lean in and nip one of those red ears, kiss a cheek, kiss Baekhyun again.

 

**Maybe you should just sex him. Right now. Kitchen sex.**

 

Jongdae snorted.

 

“W-what?” Baekhyun asked, head turned a bit to see Jongdae.

 

Should he say it?

 

“Chanyeol says I should fuck you over the counter.”

 

Baekhyun's face was serious for a moment and Jongdae wondered if he had gone too far too soon. A moment later, Jongdae moved back as Baekhyun doubled over with laughter.

 

**✞**

 

Baekhyun was talking to him again. They hadn't discussed about the kiss, but at least Baekhyun was talking to him again. The exorcist had eased up after his laughing fit in the kitchen and cracked a few Lust Demon jokes to Chanyeol's chagrin while they shared a pot of ramyun. Jongdae was happy with just that for the moment. He knew they should still talk about it, he wasn't going to ease up on teasing Baekhyun until then, but Baekhyun did not seem annoyed when Jongdae grabbed his hand instead of his wrist to tug Baekhyun out of the house or grabbed his waist in order to switch which side of the hall or sidewalk they were walking on. He didn't complain about how close Jongdae put his lips to Baekhyun's ear when he was whispering something to him or bother asking Jongdae to get up when Jogdae fell asleep cuddled on Baekhyun's shoulder while they watched late night television together. Jongdae was trying his hardest to be very obvious to Baekhyun away from his friend's eyes, that is. He didn't need Kyungsoo giving him more of that look he already did every time he and Baekhyun were together, and he definitely didn't need Zitao blabbing on and on about his little crush in front of Baekhyun's face. Chanyeol did enough of that already.

 

“You, you didn't come over the other day,” Kyungsoo said taking his seat next to Jongdae when they got back to school after their long weekend.

 

“Oh, I forgot to text,” Jongdae said and reached out a hand in apology.

 

Kyungsoo grabbed the hand and tugged Jongdae over in an arm lock. “I waited three hours when I could have gone to see Junmyeon early and not gotten in trouble with my parents for staying out so late.”

 

“No one told you to go get yourself fucked so close to your ridiculously early weekend curfew,” Jongdae hissed through the pain of the hold.

 

Kyungsoo finally let go and sat back in his seat with crossed arms. “I hope Chanyeol plagues all your wet dreams with cross dressing Baekhyuns.”

 

**He does know I can't actually do that, right?**

 

“Did someone say Baekhyun?” Baekhyun asked poking his head into their classroom before scurrying over to the desk behind Jongdae and he tugged on Jongdae's hair. “What are you talking about me for?”

 

“I was using you as a threat,” Kyungsoo said and began pulling his books out.

 

“Oh, threatening that I'll exorcise him? But I already plan to do that,” Baekhyun said.

 

Jongdae raised a brow. He had forgotten Chanyeol would actually have to be removed from him at some point. Chanyeol was just biding his time with this Sehun thing.

 

**I don't mind going back, I just have to find Sehun first. I didn't even think I'd manage staying here this long. I've only been on the surface once before very briefly. We all come to the surface at least once when we’re a lower class. That was when I met Sehun. It was a few years ago, probably back when he was going to the same middle school at Jongin. I didn’t really care for it.**

 

Chanyeol had been here before? And that was when he had met Sehun? Where they friends? Jongdae figured this Sehun must have done something really bad in order to have Chanyeol come after him.

 

**He didn't do anything bad per say, there is just something we didn't get to discuss before he disappeared up here. It's nothing to bother yourself with.**

 

Jongdae was still bothered by it even when Zitao suddenly showed up looking sleep deprived.

 

“What happened to you?” Baekhyun asked.

 

Zitao ran a hand through his wet hair. “Spent the weekend with Yixing. First weekend since summer.”

 

Jongdae leaned away from Zitao, he could see Baekhyun leaning back as well. Zitao smelled like cream cakes and cum. Lots of cum.

 

**Please make your friend go away, it burns.**

 

Just then, another head of bleached blond going more to white appeared around the door, sleepy eyes looking curiously around. “Um, Byun Baekhyun and Kim Jongdae?”

 

It was Jongin. Jongdae immediately stood and walked over to him. Baekhyun quickly followed and grabbed Jongin's arm pulling him out of the classroom.

 

“Uh...Teacher Lu wants to talk to you.” Jongin's words trailed off as he was tugged out confused about being taken away before he could give an excuse as to have the others leave with him. “Do you guys know already or something?”

 

“Know what?” Baekhyun asked coming to a stop in the next hall.

 

Jongdae looked around to make sure Zitao hadn't followed them. “Huh? We don't know anything, we're just glad you showed up right then.”

 

“One of his friends smelt like a weekend of hot gay sex,” Baekhyun explained.

 

Jongin's eyes widened before he grinned. “Well that sounds fun. But I didn't come here to save your noses.”

 

“Right, you said Teacher Lu wanted to see us,” Jongdae said.

 

Jongin shook his head. “Luhan's in a meeting. I'm the one who's going to relay the message, it just might take a while so I needed an excuse in case I made Jongdae late.”

 

“Right, because it doesn't matter if I'm late,” Baekhyun said with a wave of his hand.

 

Jongin glared at him. “Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?”

 

“I wasn't being sarcastic,” Baekhyun corrected. “Do you have something on Sehun?”

 

“Yes I do. I've been staking out where the Charity Grace spotted someone similar to Sehun and paying attention to high school students and I finally located Sehun. He looks a lot different then I remember him being, but when I got close enough, it was definitely him. Pride demon smell all the way.”

 

“Did you approach him?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“Of course not,” Jongin said. “He could probably smell me already even if my scent is weak after being in the human world for so long. He looked just like any other kid though, in a white high school uniform. He wasn't chatting with anyone, just following this big group of other kids around. They were pretty snobby kids. Explains why Sehun was with them.”

 

**Ask him how Sehun looked?**

 

“Chanyeol wants to know how Sehun looked?”

 

Jongin scoffed. “Looked? He looked like a human form Pride Demon. Slicked back brown hair, face white and sharp. Like some rich kid who walked into the kitchen when his maids were washing the floor. Clean.”

 

“Uh, I think he meant did Sehun look well,” Jongdae corrected.

 

“He looked like any other preppy rich high schooler so yeah,” Jongin said and shrugged. “What matters is that I know which high school. It's that school with the all white uniforms and you have golf as your major sport.”

 

“I know the one,” Jongdae said. “It's a bit away from here, closer to Yanggun. Guess we have to backtrack a bit.”

 

“That's fine, but if that school's so rich, it will definitely be big. How will we know where he is?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“Ah, you see, he's in the dance club. I saw his name on the list for this coming dance competition under his school. Oh Sehun. The competition is this weekend at their school. I'll help you guys corner him backstage, but I can't get involved after that and please don't wear our school's uniform. I'm not getting expelled for a 'fight' when Luhan likes this teaching job thing.”

 

“Don't worry, I know the perfect place to get uniforms,” Baekhyun said and turned to Jongdae. “Are you up for a dance competition?”

 

As long as Jongdae didn't have to dance, he was totally up for it.

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae had never stepped foot inside a dance competition. A talent showcase, yes, but not one set up completely for dance. He had gone to Zitao's martial arts competitions, but that was on a completely different plane from this. There were students everywhere dressed in shiny shirts and baggy pants. Some of the girl groups wore dresses that were more like glittery bathing suits. Jongin himself wore nice fitting black slacks and a fancy blazer looking like a charming fashionista as he huddled in the corner with Baekhyun and Jongdae.

 

It was halfway through the show . Chanyeol was a nervous wreck in Jongdae's head. He could feel the Lust Demon practically pacing back and forth and gasping every time he thought someone that looked like Sehun passed through Jongdae's peripheral. It sort of hurt and Jongdae found himself rubbing his head often, closing his eyes only for Chanyeol to yell at him to keep them opened because Sehun could show up at any time.

 

“Have you seen him yet?” Baekhyun asked glancing around.

 

“No, but I've seen some people with his school uniform in the locker room,” Jongin answered. “I get a whiff of him occasionally, too.”

 

**I can smell him. It's faint though, he must be somewhere else in the building.**

Jongdae nodded and reached a hand up to tug at the collar of the matching black uniform Baekhyun had gotten him. If things went bad, they couldn't have their school traced back because then it would be easy to find them. The black uniforms they wore were the typical ones a lot of schools had with no special marks on them. It felt weird to wear, though. Even if Jongdae thought his school's gray uniforms were dull, at least they weren’t heavy or itchy.

 

“What's Teacher Lu doing?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“He's drawing circles in a couple of the back rooms. He didn't want me doing it in case I got stuck in one,” Jongin said.

 

Baekhyun laughed. “That would have been unfortunate. He's okay being back there, right?”

 

“As long as he has his teacher id, he should be fine. He's been up here longer than I have, he knows how to work the system,” Jongin assured. “Sehun has three dances so we can always just corner him after the last one. And he can't run because the last one is a duet with a senior. I hear she's the pride and joy of their school so he'll definitely want to be there to feed.”

 

Baekhyun nodded and turned to Jongdae. “Let's go get a seat in the back and watch the show.”

 

Jongdae held up a fist. “Good luck, Jongin. For the dancing thing, I mean.”

 

“Good luck to you guys, too,” Jongin said and smiled.

 

Sloth Demons weren't so bad, Jongdae thought as he followed Baekhyun to the seating area.

 

Jongdae was impressed by many of the performances. Jongin was very good himself as he performed his solo. It was right after Jongin's turn that Jongdae saw him for the first time, Sehun, the Pride Demon.

 

**That's him! Chanyeol shrieked in Jongdae's head.**

 

Jongdae covered his ears and turned to Baekhyun. “Sehun.”

 

Sehun was a tall lanky sort of boy with the face of an aristocrat that basically oozed pride. Jongdae got the same impression when he danced, though Jongdae thought Jongin's more impressive, but the Sloth Demon had been doing it a lot longer. When his duet with the senior girl came up, Baekhyun tugged on Jongdae's sleeve.

 

“I'm 'going to take a leak',” Baekhyun said. What he really meant was he was going to cut Sehun off and Jongdae should follow when the dance was over.

 

Jongdae waited, wincing at an excited Chanyeol. He wished the Lust Demon would calm down, but it only got worse when he stood at the end of it and started towards the back, met up with by Jongin.

  
“I'm going to have to go with you if you want back here. You're not in costume so they'll stop you,” Jongin explained and hug an arm about Jongdae's shoulders and began explaining some sort of dance move that

 

Jongdae just nodded along to. When they were a good ways in the back, Jongin let go. “Last room on the left, he should have just gotten there. I'll do a perimeter sweep. Luhan's inside.”

 

Jongdae hurried to the indicated room and indeed, there stood the Pride Demon with arms crossed, glaring at Teacher Lu. He turned when he saw Jongdae about to say something when his eyes suddenly widened and the air about his feet began to move showing where the lines of the demon circle had been drawn.

 

“Chanyeol,” he said.

 

**It's really him.**

 

“Chanyeol says hi,” Jongdae said.

 

The Pride Demon sighed. “I was wondering what a Chastity Grace was doing capturing a demon. I thought he wouldn't care since he's been all over that sloth demon that's been staring at me this whole competition.”

 

“You weren't suspicious if you knew?” Jongdae asked.

 

“We went to the same school,” Sehun said. “I would have never thought...Oh, Chanyeol.”

 

**Where's Baekhyun? I need to manifest.**

 

Just then, the exorcist walked in. “Oh, it worked, good.”

 

Sehun hissed. “An exorcist! Chanyeol, you wouldn't.”

 

Baekhyun waved Sehun off. “He might, but first I think you two need to talk before I send the both of you back to the other world.” Baekhyun walked over to a corner and started drawing a smaller circled on the ground then took off the beads he kept around his wrist. “Chanyeol.”

 

The manifestation of a demon from Jongdae's head hurt more than when Chanyeol took over. He understood why he had fainted when Chanyeol had first entered his body. It was like something was being ripped from his very being, but there was still a cord connecting them. Jongdae tumbled backwards and Teacher Lu moved to help keep him up. Through blurry eyes, Jongdae could see Chanyeol as he moved towards the circle. It lit in flames the moment he stepped in it and Baekhyun wrapped his beads around Chanyeol's wrist.

 

Chanyeol.

 

That night when they had first become one, Jongdae hadn't been able to see Chanyeol properly. He looked like a spirit then, but this Chanyeol was a beautiful man. He was tall, red haired, big eyes and fairy ears. Jongdae didn't think he looked much like a Lust Demon, but perhaps a sweet appearance could be lusty. It was when Chanyeol spoke that Jongdae understood, a deep smooth chocolate like sound that Jongdae had only felt before in his head but never actually heard.

 

“Sehun, we need to talk.”

 

 


	10. Your Past Doesn't Always Stay Your Past

**10\. Your Past Doesn't Always Stay Your Past**

 

Jongdae watched as Baekhyun closed the door behind them. Chanyeol had requested they let him speak alone with Sehun. Jongdae was surprised Baekhyun had agreed, but Luhan was still inside and Jongin could pop up later to defend his grace lover if anything happened.

 

“You sure that's a good idea,” he still asked.

 

“It's fine. They're both in a circle and the only one we could lose is Sehun. Chanyeol won't be able to keep form for very long and I also connected him to me so he can't go too far,” Baekhyun explained.

 

“Connected?”

 

Baekhyun leaned against the door and slowly slid onto the dusty floor of the backstage hall of the dance competition. “Sort or like a familiar. Exorcists use to do that often back in the day especially with Lust Demons, but usually only high leveled ones. Plus, Luhan's there.”

 

Jongdae walked over and slid down next to Baekhyun guarding the door. “What do you think they're talking about?”

 

“Who knows. I don't bother asking demons about their personal problems. When they're done talking I'll make the decision to exorcise them or not.”

 

“Why the why not?” Jongdae had thought when they found Sehun, Chanyeol would take him back to the othertworld.

 

“If they don't tell me, Luhan will, what they talked about. There has to be a reason why Sehun came here and I might need to find who brought him here. Things like that. Exorcist things.”

 

“Does that mean more work?”

 

Baekhyun nodded and his eyes closed as he sighed.

 

“More work means you'll be sticking around longer, right?”

 

Baekhyun chuckled. “What? Are you going to cry if I leave?”

 

“Yes,” Jongdae admitted. He almost wished Chanyeol was still in his head. He could crack a joke about something inappropriate the Lust Demon said and they could diverge from this conversation that Jongdae wasn't even sure he wanted to have right now. But, they needed to have it and they were alone right now and watching Baekhyun's face, Jongdae could still feel his lips pressing back against his. “I like you, Byun Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun's lips twitched. “Of course you do, I'm a friendly person.”

 

Jongdae shook his head. “No, I like like you. I stare at your face when you're not looking, get all these flutters in my stomach when you speak, masturbate to you in the shower.”

 

Baekhyun turned red. “Did you have to add that last one?”

 

“Well, I want you to understand.”

 

“I understood plenty when you kissed me,” Baekhyun said then looked away.

 

Jongdae sighed. Baekhyun had brought it up, that must have meant he had been thinking about it. “We need to talk about that kiss, Baekhyun.”

 

“What's there to talk about?” He wasn't looking at Jongdae, but Baekhyun's ears were getting a brighter and brighter shade of red.

 

“How about the fact you kissed me back?” Jongdae asked.

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “No I didn't.”

 

“Yes you did. Chanyeol is my witness. Can't lie to a Lust Demon about kisses now can you?”

 

Baekhyun groaned and ran one of his pretty white hands through his dark hair. “It's frustrating.”

 

“What is?”

 

“The fact I like you, too, and don't know why.”

 

A slow grin spread across Jongdae's face. “You like me, too? Maybe it's because I'm a handsome charming fellow who feeds you and lets you wear his clothes and steal his pens.”

 

Baekhyun peaked at Jongdae. “That makes it sound like you're my high school sugar daddy.”

 

“I'm younger than you,” Jongdae chuckled.

 

Baekhyun scoffed a laugh. “I think because it's comfortable.”

 

“Comfortable's good. You should want to be comfortable with the person you like.”

 

Baekhyun reached his arms out in front of him stretching his long arms and long fingers. “But, I just don't know, Jongdae.”

 

“Is this because of you being an exorcist?” Jongdae asked.

 

“Not so much,” Baekhyun said. “I've just never been in a relationship before. Fake ones for work, sure, but never with someone I actually liked. There wouldn't be any borders I'd have to keep up.”

 

Jongdae studied Baekhyun carefully. He was looking off across the hall studying a promotional poster for the dance competition. His cheeks were a bit pink, but he didn't look at Jongdae. Jongdae reached out and lightly urged Baekhyun to turn his face towards him. Baekhyun did with large dark eyes and Jongdae leaned forward, resting his forehead against Baekhyun's. He breath in the smell of Baekhyun, the smell of Jongdae's shower gel he liked to steal and the smell that was distinctly Baekhyun. “I like you, Byun Baekhyun. Long distance, short distance, while chasing horny Sloth Demons, I don't care, I want to date you.”

 

Jongdae could feel Baekhyun's soft half smile even if their lips weren't touching and he could see the sparkling in his dark eyes. “Kiss me a second time and I won't be able to refuse.”

 

Jongdae moved his hand to caress Baekhyun's face. “And if I kissed you a third?”

 

Baekhyun lifted a hand to Jongdae's shoulder and leaned in a bit, lips now barely touching. “Then we might get kicked out.”

 

Jongdae lost count of their kisses before Luhan smacked them with the door when he came out.

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae patted Baekhyun's head where he could feel the bump that he was also sporting from when their foreheads collided while kissing because Luhan opened the door on them. They had been both red getting caught by the Chastity Grace as well as Jongdae's music teacher, but they had shared shy smiles when they entered the room and stood shoulder to shoulder. Sehun and Chanyeol were still in their circles. Chanyeol's face was a bit red and he was holding himself with long lanky arms. Sehun, like the Pride Demon he was, had a mask of blank arrogance, but his hands were stuffed in his pockets and head turned away from Chanyeol.

 

“You guys done talking?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“Yeah, I think we covered everything,” Chanyeol said. His voice was soft, almost disappointed.

 

Baekhyun walked over to the circle Chanyeol stood in and took his arm where the beads were. He unwrapped them and put them back under his own sleeve before rubbing out part of the fiery circle. Chanyeol moved forward. He stood in front of Jongdae with a little twitching smile. Jongdae had to look up at him. He wanted to frown, but he was still taken back by Chanyeol's actual appearance as well as that frustrated look in his eyes. Chanyeol reached a hand out and patted his shoulder. Then, Chanyeol was gone and Jongdae was hit with a wave of energy, like Zitao's kick. Jongdae coughed and rubbed at his chest. There were arms helping to hold him up and, looking around, Jongdae guessed Jongin had returned. The light stretch in his mind was back to a dull hot pounding.

 

“Did everything go okay?” Jongin asked.

 

Teacher Lu moved to stand next to his Sloth Demon lover and away from Sehun as Baekhyun moved to him next.

 

“Chanyeol and I discussed a few things. I am not privy to share them with you as they were personal. All you have to know is Chanyeol had no ill intentions in coming up here. He simply chased after me when I did not reply to a certain conversation. However, my reasons for coming back to this realm was not to get away from Chanyeol,” Sehun explained. “In the other world, I am often put in a place of investigation. Over the past hundred years or more, it has been peaceful in the other world even between grace's and demons. Humans tend to sin on their own more often now without our help and also save each other without the graces. So, when a high level demon breaks out, it is a big problem for our peaceful world.”

 

Jongdae could feel Chanyeol curled in a ball in the corner of Jongdae's mind he occupied. He was silent, much more silent than Jongdae would have expected now that they shared thoughts. It wasn't as if the memory of the kisses he had shared with Baekhyun only minutes ago weren't still fresh in his mind. Watching Baekhyun standing before Sehun he couldn't help but admire Baekhyun's pale white skin or the slight swelling to his small pink lips that were all Jongdae's doing. They had actually kissed. More than just a returned peck like over the piano in the music room. He had felt Baekhyun's sighs against his lips and ten more seconds, Jongdae would have tried for some tongue.

 

Chanyeol was quiet about all these thoughts.

 

Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest and lifted one to rub at his chin. “So there is a more powerful demon about?”

 

“If you're an exorcist, you would know about every tare big enough for a demon my level or higher. You can feel it in those powers of yours,” Sehun said. “Did you not mention it to the others?”

 

Baekhyun glanced over to Jongdae with a sheepish look on his face. “I was kinda hoping Sehun was the demon my family has been looking for since just before Chanyeol appeared.”

 

Jongdae shrugged. He didn't really understand any of this. Baekhyun had kept something from him? Well, Baekhyun did like him, he could understand wanting to keep Jongdae as innocent to it all as much as possible though that was now something to be thrown out the window. Even if Jongdae didn't have exorcist powers, he was willing to help Baekhyun in catching some demons. “So this is just part of a bigger pictures,” he said.

 

“Yes,” Baekhyun explained. “We didn't know what kind of demon it was, but by the description of the damage the tare did, we figured it was either a lust, pride, or wrath demon. There was quite a bit of burn damage as well as fallen trees. Obviously I knew Chanyeol couldn't have done it since he wasn't strong enough and such low level demons don't have to come through tares. They don't have a physical body outside of the other world so it is easy to slip through. But, Chanyeol had a pretty solid form when I first met him so I couldn't be sure.”

 

“That's why you trapped me in the home economics room,” Jongdae added.

 

“Yes, and then Chanyeol had information on a stronger demon so I stayed. I honestly shouldn't still be hanging about, but...”

 

“Young exorcists are almost as prideful as a Pride Demon,” Sehun said.

 

“So, do we know what kind of demon it is now?” Jongdae asked. “We can get Junmyeon out looking for them.”

 

“It's not going to be as easy as it was this time,” Teacher Lu pointed out. “It's a Wrath Demon, a very high ranking wrath demon.”

 

“I followed them out before the tare could close. It was a split second decision,” Sehun explained. “I lost him on the way out, but I think I know why he's here.”

 

“A Wrath Demon?” Baekhyun asked. Jongdae saw worry lines etching there way into his brow.

 

“There are too many graces and demons, especially higher leveled ones, around this area, have been for seventeen or so years,” Sehun said.

 

“There's a sort of attraction here,” Jongin added. “Luhan and I felt it. I guess that's why we chose that school as our next settlement.”

 

Baekhyun turned to Jongdae then. “Are you going to be okay housing Chanyeol for a little while longer? I need him for a bit more.”

 

Jongdae thought for a moment then grinned. “Sure, but you can't sleep on the couch anymore. Fair exchange, right?”

 

Baekhyun blushed and cleared his throat. Chanyeol shifted in Jongdae's mind. Jongdae was happy with both reactions.

 

“So, are you going to let me out of this circle now? I believe Jongin and I have awards to collect.”

 

Baekhyun took his beads off again and grabbed Sehun's wrist, wrapping them about it.

 

“This isn't necessary. If I had known Chanyeol was even up here, I would have gone to see him right away,” Sehun said.

 

“I won't trust that,” Baekhyun said then rubbed out the circle of wind.

 

**✞**

 

The night was cool as Jongdae and Baekhyun headed back . There was an awkward air between them as they walked. Jongdae expected it was because they didn't know what to do with themselves. They had admitted their feelings, but with all this new information, did Baekhyun still want to try with Jongdae? Was it not worth it anymore to Baekhyun? It was only as they entered China town that Jongdae had the courage to reach out and take Baekhyun's hand in his. Baekhyun jerked once, but let his hand stay in jongdae's and even let him lace their fingers together. Jongdae waited a few seconds before moving closer and bringing up the subject.

 

“So, are you still going to want to go on a date with me?”

 

Baekhyun looked at Jongdae in surprise. “We were going on a date?”

 

“Well, I thought that's what all the talk before hand was about,” Jongdae said. Had he misread the situation?

 

Baekhyun chuckled. “Aren't you suppose to ask someone to go on a date? I didn't hear you actually asking to go on one.”

 

Jongdae grinned to himself and tightened his hold on Baekhyun's hand. Maybe he had jumped the gun there. “Alright, well do you want to go on a date? I mean with all this information, I understand if you don't.”

 

“With all this new information, a date seems like the perfect idea to clear my mind. I'll go out with you.”

 

Jongdae turned and smiled at Baekhyun. Baekhyun nudged him.

 

It was when they arrived in Jongdae's apartment that he realized how late it was. “Dance competitions sure do run late into the night. Jongin said they still had some private schools doing stuff until midnight.”

 

Baekhyun yawned and stretched. “Yeah, but I want to make some ramyun first. Want to join me?”

 

Jongdae shook his head. “Nah, I'm headed straight to bed. Hey, remember what I said about the couch.”

 

Baekhyun blushed. “You didn't really mean you wanted us to cuddle in our sleep did you?”

 

“I'm totally up for it if you're a cuddler. Besides, we're both guys,”

 

Baekhyun waved a ramyun bag at him. “Guys with crushes on each other.”

 

Jongdae laughed and headed to his bedroom. He could feel the dull pulsing of Chanyeol in his head. He had been quiet ever since reentering Jongdae.

 

“Chanyeol,” Jongdae said softly. “I would have thought you'd have something to say the moment you were back in my head.”

 

There was a stirring as if Chanyeol was trying to pick himself up. Ah, about you and Baekhyun, right? I could have guessed it would happen. Congratulations.

 

“You don't sound too well,” Jongdae said. There was a stuffiness to Chanyeol's thoughts.

 

**I would rather not talk about it. Simply put, Sehun did not wish to talk about the real reason I followed him. He said he wasn't running, but I am still unsure if he planned on staying.**

 

Jongdae wondered if that meant what he thought it meant. “What exactly are you two?”

 

Chanyeol hesitated before answering. **We were....close.**

 

Jongdae hummed to himself then pulled on sleeping boxers and climbed into bed. He was asleep before Baekhyun could walk in and offer him ramnyun again.

 

There were eyes that glowed with crackling light staring at him from his power ranger’s mirror. He only remembered being angry at his brother for taking the last piece of cake, something he did every time there was a last piece of cake. He was also angry with his mother for putting peas in their soup that night and his father for forgetting to bring home ice cream. He was just very angry and it was as he stared down at his favorite power ranger toy in pieces on his bedroom floor after having thrown it across the room in rage that he saw the eyes. He saw them and then he woke up to the blazing yellow of the sky. His mother was yelling at him to get ready for pre-school. He hated preschool. One of the little girls kept putting gum in his hair so his mother had been keeping his hair buzzed and he hated the razor because his mother always nicked him with it. And Do Kyungsoo was in his class and Do Kyungsoo's lunch always had the most delicious foods and everyone liked sitting by him and no one would sit beside him.

 

Anger.

 

Get angry.

 

More anger.

 

They were chants said over and over in his head and for a few seconds, Jongdae would forget what he was doing. He would forget that the ants he found outside their apartment did not belong inside particularly in his father's shoe. He would forget his mother actually liked the bush of white flowers she kept in the house and threw up in the pot, threw up food he usually found delicious if he ignored the peas. He would forget he was supposed to be cutting dinosaurs out of green construction paper for school, not the cables on the television so his brother couldn't watch porn anymore and would pay more attention to him.

 

And he forgot about the man with glasses from down the hall who was always drawing circles on the halls’ wall and floor and he would play the floor is lava as not to step in any of the man's circles.

 

He did remember after the fire, barely recovered from all the smoke he inhaled. He had crawled away to pee, his bladder now overflowing from nervousness, and there was the man in the back alley also covered in smoke, glasses cracked and fogged up by the heat coming from the building. And there was a circle. And he passed out the moment he stepped into the circle from the shriek of pain that escaped his throat.

 

Jongdae woke with a start. He was soaked in sweat from head to toe, but he felt cold. Jongdae reached beside himself and pulled his sheet around him, looking around the room with blurry eyes until his eyes landed on Baekhyun sitting at his desk curled up with a bowl of noodles balanced on his knees, chopsticks half to his mouth, eyes wide.

 

“Baekhyun?” Jongdae asked. He felt a little lost. He needed to get back to sleep.

 

Baekhyun smiled and put his bowl on Jongdae's desk before getting up and headed to the bed. Jongdae wanted to tell him to take the bowl to the kitchen sink and not to leave it in his room, but the moment he felt his mattress lower, Jongdae could only turn and bring Baekhyun into his arms in a tight hold.

 

Baekhyun slowly brought his arms up to return the embrace. “Did you have a nightmare?”

 

Jongdae nodded. The only nightmares he ever had were about that night. “Sometimes I remember the night I became an orphan.”

 

Baekhyun sighed and rubbed Jongdae's back, pulling him down on the bed with him. “Sometimes I remember that, too.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Jongdae said softly.

 

“You didn't know,” Baekhyun said and pet Jongdae's hair.

 

“How...did it happen?” Jongdae asked. Baekhyun knew about his ordeals, Baekhyun knew a lot of about Jongdae, but Jongdae wanted to know about him.

 

“Hmm, exorcism job. Envy Demon. It got hold of one of my non-exorcist family members and the building collapsed on them. That’s it.”

 

“I'll hum for you, alright? You should be more tired than I. Having a demon leave you and then come back takes a lot of energy out.”

 

“Thank you,” Jongdae said and it was only Baekhyun's soft voice that allowed him to fall back asleep and into a beautiful dream.


	11. Dinner and a Movie Doesn't Do it for Everyone

**11\. Dinner and a Movie Doesn't Do it for Everyone**

 

    Jongdae had never felt more like a nervous wreck then he did the following weekend standing in front of his bedroom mirror dressed in a patterned shirt, casual bow tie, and shorts he wasn't sure were weather appropriate with autumn on their heels. There was a date tonight, a date between Baekhyun and he. He had barely managed to keep Zitao and Kyungsoo off of them all week, making up excuses about why they were sitting six inches closer than usual and whispering against each others skin when they did so. Still, Kyungsoo, who already picked up on Jongdae's crush, seemed to have gotten it as he had insisted Jongdae order nachos instead of popcorn when they went on their movie date and Zitao was like a squealing fangirl shipping them every time Jongdae and Baekhyun even looked at each other. He wished they could have done this sooner, a date any night of the week would have been fine, too, but Jongdae had struggled with where they should go on a date. Baekhyun wasn't a typical guy, but it had been Kyungsoo's mention of nachos that had decided for him that maybe a typical date with be something different for a not so typical guy.

 

Baekhyun peeked in just as Jongdae was deciding if he should change his boxers for briefs. “Hey, you ready yet?”

 

Jongdae quickly stuffed his undergarments back into his drawer and turned with a hand combing through his hair. “Uh, yeah, just a minute.”

 

The exorcist raised a playful brow at him. “Do I need to be rechecking my underwear, too? If you were planning to get them off of me, you might want to ask Chanyeol for some tips.”

 

That thought hadn't exactly not crossed his mind, but Jongdae had no plans to make their first time so soon. “I doubt you're even wearing any.”

 

Baekhyun winked at that and left Jongdae's room.

 

**He's totally not wearing underwear.**

 

Jongdae groaned at Chanyeol's add in. He was quite aware of that fact, he didn't need it brought to his attention anymore.

 

After five minutes, Jongdae met up with Baekhyun downstairs. His...boyfriend?...-Jongdae hadn't thought about it that way yet- was dressed in a white polo shirt with red sleeves and the maker's trademark patterning the white area and jeans that Jongdae recognized as his which looked too tight on the other boy. “Even on a date, you choose to wear my clothes.”

 

Baekhyun shrugged. “It's not like we haven't been sleeping in the same bed and even moved in before our first date.”

 

Jongdae couldn't argue with that. “But aren't they tight?”

 

Baekhyun's hands were on his hips, nice jutting hips hugged by the clean dark material of Jongdae's jeans. “No, I think you just wear your clothes too loose.” He turned and wiggled his butt at Jongdae. “They look good, right?”

 

Jongdae really wanted to smack that cute bottom in his jeans, both because he wanted to do it playfully and because his libido said it would feel good. He reached out and did it lightly. Baekhyun laughed in response.

 

“What are you doing? Let me return it,” Baekhyun said and pulled Jongdae in front of him, patting down his butt. “Can't really get at it, you don't have much, do you?”

 

Jongdae laughed as well and batted Baekhyun away. “Hey, don't go feeling up your boyfriend like that.”

 

“Boyfriend?” Baekhyun asked with a grin. “Don't you have to buy me dinner before that's official?”

 

There was a slight blush with that grin that Jongdae found endearing and he reached out for Baekhyun's hand. “Then I guess we should hurry and get something to eat.”

 

“Oh, I could really go for some street food. Fish cakes in hot sauce in forever,” Baekhyun chattered as he laced his fingers with Jongdae's.

 

Jongdae bit the inside of his cheek. He had actually planned on a nice meal in a foreign restaurant, but If Baekhyun wanted street food, they'd get street food and some digestion medicine on their way home from the movie. He led them to the longest line in the main street food area of Jongdae's Chinatown home and showed him all the delicious Korean-Chinese fusion foods that were there along with some authentic stuff. An hour later, Jongdae could feel his stomach growing heavy with fatty satisfaction and he led them over to an alleyway so they could rest away from the weekend crowd on the street.

 

“I've never had such delicious bad food before,” Baekhyun moaned as he picked at the remainder of his food from the last stand.

 

Jongdae chuckled and sipped on the juice he had picked up for them to share. “I'm glad you're enjoying yourself.”

 

“I like food,” Baekhyun said then quickly looked around before leaning in . He pecked Jongdae's cheek with wet sticky lips.

 

“What was that for?” Jongdae asked wiping at his face to see chilly sauce on his cheek like the stain of a lipstick kiss.

 

“I wanted to see if it would leave a lipstick mark,” Baekhyun giggled and handed over a napkin.

 

Jongdae laughed and handed the drink to Baekhyun so he could finish off his own food, but he heard a mewling down the alley. He slowly started for it.

 

“Is it a cat?” Baekhyun asked.

 

Behind some crates was a fluffy white cat with a collar about it's neck and a litter of fuzzballs suckling at it's stomach. He frowned seeing how dirty the mother cat looked. “She must have gotten stuck having the kittens too far away from home.”

 

“Or maybe her owners threw her out when she got pregnant. Looks like too much of an expensive cat to do that, though,” Baekhyun said.

 

Jongdae didn't want to think that of the owners of what would usually be a very beautiful cat. He looked down at his lightly seasoned half full cup of fishcake before setting it down beside the cat and her kittens. Then, he pulled out his phone.

 

“Who are you calling?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“Kyungsoo. Junmyeon and he can probably get these cats without hurting them or getting hissed at by the mother. They can move them to the park where Junmyeon stays.”

 

The conversation with Kyungsoo was short and sweet and he could tell Kyungsoo was on the verge of squealing about fluffy small animals even if he sounded bored. He was greeted with Baekhyun's soft smiling face when he pocket the phone. The exorcist's eyes were glittering with what Jongdae hoped he had recognized right as adoration because it made his heart flutter to be looked at that way.

 

“That...was really sweet of you,” Baekhyun said. “It's just a cat, but you're helping it.”

 

“It's not just a cat, it's a single mother kicked out of its house and its not doing too well out here on it's own. I'm not going to leave it here,” Jongdae said. A cat born for the house would have a harder time then one born on the streets, Jongdae thought, but even if it had been just your typical street cat, he would have still helped it. He had promised to help things after the fire.

 

“Like I said, sweet,” Baekhyun.

 

Jongdae was going to argue that he was just being nice, but Baekhyun placed a hand on his bicep and leaned in and Jongdae was lost in the slowness of Baekhyun's kiss in the back of the alleyway with the mewls of little kittens serenading them.

 

**✞**

 

They managed to get to the theater before the next wave of movies started. Originally, Jongdae planned to get nachos as suggested by Kyungsoo, but then remembered it was only Kyungsoo who ate nachos during late night showings and he settled for two bags of regular buttered popcorn and some candy while Baekhyun stood in front of the ticket seating to choose a movie.

 

“I couldn't grab drinks, but if you'll take these, I can go get them,” Jongdae said frowning to match the one Baekhyun wore looking at the boards.

 

“There's not much of a movie choice tonight.”

 

“Is there not?” Jongdae asked. He hadn't bothered checking, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember hearing about any movie that he had been looking forward to in the past month. “Well, I'm paying, so just pick anything.”

 

Baekhyun moved down to the last board that had a horror movie on it. He laughed when he pointed to it. “An exorcism movie. This would be funny.”

 

Jongdae grinned. “Alright, let's watch that. I don't get scared of that kind of stuff so I'll be able to hold your hand if you get scared.”

 

Baekhyun scoffed. “Hold my hand? Why do you think I would need you to hold my hand? Demons don't scare me, even fake ones.”

 

“What if it's ghost possession,” Jongdae teased and got a nervous sniff from Baekhyun.

 

“Just leave the stuff here and get the drinks. I'm going to pick one of those cuddling couches. I've never sat in one.”

 

“Cuddling sounds good to me,” Jongdae said and put the popcorn and snacks down on a bench close by and handed Baekhyun money.

 

“That's not what I meant,” Baekhyun said, but he was red and it reminded Jongdae of the kiss they'd had just before coming to the theater as he headed back to the concession stand.

 

Baekhyun's choice of seat was in the very back of the theater and off to one corner. It was the perfect place for two people on a date to do date stuff and not watch the movie, but Jongdae wasn’t thinking of risking that. They were both guys and he had a feeling he'd either be holding Baekhyun like a scared puppy or keeping him from throwing popcorn at the back of the heads of the giggling girls a few rows in front that were the only other occupants of the theater besides and older man in a suit with nowhere else to go but his empty house.

 

“I hope they scream a lot,” Baekhyun said as he took a seat on the inside most side of the couple chair they'd got.

 

“Who? The characters on the screen or the girls?” Jongdae asked settling in.

 

“Both,” Baekhyun said. “It's funny.”

 

Jongdae didn't bother responding. The lights went out and he was left with the bright light from the screen shining on the ghost white of Baekhyun's soft face. He watched it as it twitched with the beginning of the movie, frustration showing here and there, bits of popcorn stuck to the corner of his lips as he ate at it in frustration. He didn't seem to be enjoying himself at all, neither getting scared or laughing. Jongdae wanted to ask Chanyeol about it, but the Lust Demon promised not to bother him during their date. He wanted to figure it out on his own and it should have been obvious from the start. Baekhyun was thinking about his own exorcisms. He was thinking about Sehun and the Wrath Demon Sehun had gone after. Jongdae jumped out of his watching when Baekhyun jumped and clung to him.

 

“It's ghost exorcisms. Ghosts!” Baekhyun nuzzled his face in Jongdae's chest and jongdae lifted a hand to pat his head.

 

“It's just a movie. Do you want to leave?”

 

Baekhyun nodded and didn't look up from Jongdae's chest. Jongdae just took his head and led them out, Baekhyun's head lowered. When they were back to the foyer of the theater, Jongdae turned and started to wipe popcorn bits from Baekhyun's clothes.

 

“An exorcism movie probably wasn't a good idea.”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, it's my fault. I should have known not to pick that. This is suppose to be fun.”

 

Jongdae sighed. “That's my fault. I shouldn't have decided on a typical date. I don't think dinner and a movie suits us.”

 

Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair. “It could, I'm just not in the mood for it.”

 

Jongdae understood. Maybe they shouldn't have gone on a date. “Let's just go back.”

 

Baekhyun grabbed Jongdae's hand. “No, we're still on a date. I don't want it to end like this, okay? Oh, I'll show you something fun I do.”

 

Jongdae tilted his head. “Fun? Is this an exorcist thing?”

 

With a grin, Baekhyun started tugging Jongdae along. They stopped seeing a couple seemingly fighting. The guy was a bit too handsy with his girlfriend. He seemed really angry and she seemed scared shitless. Jongdae turned to Baekhyun hearing the clicking of beads. Baekhyun had pulled out a set of his exorcism beads and was wrapping it around his wrist.

 

“I thought you left those on Sehun's wrist,” Jongdae said. “You said it was so you could track him.”

 

“I have more than one set, silly,” Baekhyun said and pulled them over to a corner hidden from everyone else. “We're going to see if her boyfriend is really a jerk or if there's a little Wrath or Envy demon gnawing at his nuts.”

 

Jongdae moved in behind Baekhyun, chest pressed to his smooth back as he leaned over to watch what the exorcist was doing. Baekhyun raised his beaded hand and began to chant. A white light glowed on his hand before shooting out and hitting the guy. The guy stumbled back for a moment, shook himself, then burped. For a second, there was a puff of white smoke, a small almost mewling, and then the guy was on his knees begging his girlfriend's forgiveness.

 

“Huh, he actually wasn't a jerk,” Baekhyun said and moved out of the hideaway spot.

 

Jongdae grabbed him and pulled him back in. “That seemed easy.”

 

“That was a super low demon. Chanyeol's more difficult that them. It's fun to get rid of them though. The scenes you see the humans in get comical with the sudden change.”

 

Jongdae peeked at the girl and she was now demanding this and that with a bit of a grin. “I'd agree.”

 

“The theaters in the mall, there might be a lot of these little demons floating about,” Baekhyun said. “How about we go play?”

 

Jongdae grinned. He thought this wasn't as good as making out with Baekhyun in the back of the theater might have been, but better than watching him mope in the white glare of the movie screen. “Alright, but one thing's first.”

 

“What?” Baekhyun asked. He seemed giddy already.

 

Jongdae only pushed Baekhyun farther into the little private space they'd found, wrapped his arms around his waist, and kissed him, hard. Baekhyun had said Jongdae was sweet before kissing him earlier, well Jongdae wanted to show he was more than that.

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae felt giddy on Monday sitting at his desk with Baekhyun sitting on top of it having decided putting his cute butt in front of Jongdae's face was a better idea than stealing the chair from the desk behind Jongdae and forcing that student to stand in the hall until Baekhyun left. Jongdae thought his lap would have been a better place, but he didn't want to make it more obvious to his friends that he was dating the exorcist than it already would be. The rest of the class wouldn't pick up on that unless Jongdae bent Baekhyun over a desk and fucked him in front of them. Speaking of sexual endeavors, Jongdae hadn't been able to jack off since he had insisted Baekhyun sleep beside him. Chanyeol had been getting on him about it, but Jongdae just felt it would be embarrassing to climb into bed next to Baekhyun with all those thoughts still fresh in his mind, not that he didn't think of said things when Baekhyun so easily moved in and cuddled against Jongdae's neck, and if either of them was courageous enough, they would share small pecks, which since the date, had turned into hotter kisses. Two nights worth of hot kisses. Jongdae was becoming sexually frustrated again.

 

“Your friends are late today,” Baekhyun pointed out. He had one leg dangling next to Jongdae as he sat on the desk, the other bent against his chest where he rested one arm.

 

“It's a slow morning,” Jongdae said. He reached out and ran fingers along the seam of Baekhyun's black slacks and watched Baekhyun's leg twitch.

 

“Don't be too touchy at school,” Baekhyun said. His ears were a little red and his eyes didn't seem to really mean it.

 

“I'm just touching your leg. It's not like we're very touchy anyways,” Jongdae said and grinned. He liked having a boyfriend. They had lazed around the day after the date just watching television switching between having their legs entangled or laying on the other's lap, getting food from the restaurant downstairs, until Baekhyun left to go do exorcist stuff and Jongdae decided to do his homework.

 

“Would you two not make it so obvious,” Kyungsoo said finally arriving.

 

Jongdae raised a brow at the state of his friend. Kyungsoo's gray uniform was covered in white fur and his hair was all fluffed up. When Jongdae saw Kyungsoo's hands as he went about getting his books out, he noticed little scars covering them. “You kept the cats, didn't you?”

 

Kyungsoo turned pink and nodded. “They were pedigree...half pedigree. I wasn't going to leave them in the garden even if Junmyeon was there. My parents didn't mind once I washed up the mother.”

 

“What mother?” Zitao asked entering class.

 

“Kyungsoo got himself a cat and kittens,” Jongdae answered.

 

“Kittens!” Zitao's squeal hurt Jongdae's ears and he rubbed them.

 

“You can come see them after class,” Kyungsoo said.

 

Zitao clapped his hands then frowned. “I don't know if I can. My brother's locked himself in his room and I don't know if I should leave him alone. For a while he was okay, but he got depressed and now hasn't come out of the room other than the bathroom and to get food. He looks really drained”

 

Baekhyun shifted on Jongdae's desk. “Does your brother have chalk in his room?”

 

“Yeah, of course. He's an art teacher.”

 

“And he has access to the internet and a bunch of other art chemicals. Dammit.”

 

“What, what is it?” Zitao asked worried.

 

“Please go to Kyungsoo's after school,” Baekhyun said. “I need to do another purification of your place. I must have missed a closet or something.”

 

Zitao nodded and hurried to his seat across the room. Baekhyun slid off Jongdae's desk.

 

“What's going on?” Jongdae asked. He reached out and took Baekhyun's hand, lightly rubbing his thumb where it held.

 

Baekhyun sighed. “The demon is stronger than I thought. I'm going to have to do an actual exorcism on Teacher Wu.”

 

“I'll come with you.”

 

Baekhyun nodded and leaned down, his lips barely brushing Jongdae's hair. “Thank you.”

 


	12. Do Not Expect Truth From Reality

**12\. Do Not Expect Truth From Reality**

 

    They headed for Zitao's house immediately after school with Kyungsoo and Zitao tagging along, the older of the two clinging to Jongdae's arm whining about how he knew ghosts were real, but no one would listen to him and now one had possessed his brother. Baekhyun corrected that it wasn't a ghost, but a demon. Zitao only insisted it was the same and that he would never shower alone again, which he never did anyways. And he told the story of forcing Kyungsoo in a bath with him like sticking a cat in the bath for the first time, his arms even got scratched up. Kyungsoo jabbed Zitao in the side and turned the focus to Jongdae and the numerous times he had given in to Zitao's demands for company in the shower.

 

 **Seems like your friend gets around** , Chanyeol laughed.

 

Baekhyun didn't seem pleased with this information, but he didn't have much of anything to say when Zitao blurted out that the exorcist was the best to bathe with. Being an exorcist, he could protect Zitao, a sixteen year old with years of martial arts training, from ghosts. Jongdae pushed Zitao away and grabbed Baekhyun's hand with a promise that he'd put pink hair dye in Zitao's shampoo next time they bathed together. There was no doubt in his mind that there wouldn't be a next time. It was hard to say no to Zitao. Or maybe he would let Zitao bathe with Baekhyun and play a trick, show them both how much of a baby they were even with so much power.

 

**Wow, I don't think I'd want to meet you in a dark alley.**

 

Chanyeol was a demon, he could get over Jongdae's mischievous thoughts.

 

“I need to pick up some sea salt,” Baekhyun said, hand squeezing Jongdae's.

 

“What do you need salt for?” Jongdae asked letting his boyfriend pull him towards the closest convenience store.

 

“Exorcisms of course. I'm going to just do the whole house not just each room. A salt perimeter will keep the demon from escaping.”

 

“We'll go on ahead. I think having a box of kittens crawling on top of him will get Zitao to calm down and not think about what you're doing,” Kyungsoo called out to them .

 

Zitao immediately clung to his arm and started talking excitedly about kittens.

 

“Let's hurry up and get this over with. Higher level demons take a lot out of me,” Baekhyun said.

 

They entered the store and headed to the back aisle where common spices and canned foods were stored, hands still locked together. “It's a high level demon?”

 

“It must have been very weak when I first visited. I didn't notice any summoning circles, but Teacher Wu also wasn't present at the time.”

 

“Summoning circle?”

 

Baekhyun had let Jongdae's hand go to kneel down and inspect the salts available. “Yeah. That's how they moved between worlds. The weakest just do it easily. The tiniest hole they can slip right through. Chanyeol's a little stronger than that and so has to summon himself once he has enough strength. Since this is his second time, he's definitely not a virgin or else he wouldn't be up here. All the energy he was born with would have been used up the first time”

 

**It was only with one person!**

 

Jongdae chuckled. “Chanyeol's trying to protect his chastity.”

 

Baekhyun picked up one of the salt containers and headed to the counter. “I don't really care who he slept with, I probably know already. Let's just hurry to Zitao's before Teacher Wu decides to leave, though I doubt he could even if he wanted to.”

 

They bought the sea salt courtesy of Jongdae's wallet and hurried to Zitao's home not far from Jongdae's in Chinatown. The moment they stood in front of Zitao's door, Jongdae was overcome with a heavy feeling of dread in his chest and the smell of steamed meat. Usually he liked the smell of meat, but it was so strong that Jongdae wanted to be sick. And then there was the smell of cum.

 

“Oh fuck!” Baekhyun said, face scrunched up.

 

“What?” Jongdae asked.

 

Baekhyun sighed and opened the door. “You'll see. This isn't going to be as easy as I thought.”

 

Jongdae followed Baekhyun into the house. He was familiar with Zitao's place, but it had been a couple months since he had visited. There were a few new items here and there and some furniture had been rearranged. However, he wasn't familiar with Zitao's brother's room. When Baekhyun opened Teacher Wu's door, Jongdae gasped. Wu Yifan was laying on the floor, gray faced and sweat slicked, with his blond head in a small man's lap. The man's face was round like a hamster and he stroked Yifan's hair softly with a gentle but sad smile.

 

“I heard Zitao had an exorcist friend. I didn't believe it, but here you are,” said the man.

 

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“I slipped in when Changmin did.”

 

“Who's Changmin?” Jongdae asked. He was confused about who this man was.

 

The man looked up. “Oh, you haven't met him? He's a Wrath Demon, very powerful. I believe a Pride Demon chased after him as well.”

 

“What are you doing here, though?” Baekhyun repeated.

 

“I am Minseok. I am a Gluttony Demon. I came because I fell in love with a human, but it was hard to get here and I was very weak. He tried so hard to feed me, but then you came and purified the house. I could barely last more than a couple days hidden in the closet you missed. Oh this stupid human, look what he did.” Minseok moved his hand to Yifan's chest and pushed his open shirt apart to show a circle mark on his chest made as if burned by ice. “He wanted me to stay. He put a connecting symbol on his own heart. He said he was so lonely, but this is too much. I only came here to love him, this beautiful man, but now I've loved him to death.”

 

Baekhyun sighed. “I need to send you away.”

 

“Don't...touch him,” Yifan groaned from his spot on Minseok's lap.

 

Jongdae saw two tears fall from Minseok's eyes, freezing on his skin. “There are some demons that can come to the surface and go about their lives. His brother is so sad. I do not wish to be here any longer.”

 

“Don't go,” Yifan croaked.

 

“I...I don't want to see this,” Jongdae said. This was Zitao's precious step-brother. He remembered when he first met Zitao, how excited he was to talk about getting a new older brother and moving to Korea with him and his family. Kyungsoo had an elder brother as well. Jongdae had had a brother. How had he died again? Jongdae reached out and tugged on Baekhyun's sleeve. “Please don't let him die.”

 

Baekhyun nodded and started making a circle around the gluttony demon with the salt. “Drag Teacher Wu away.”

 

“No! Please, let me hold him until the end. I won't fight,” Minseok begged.

 

Baekhyun nodded and approached, wrapping his spare beads around Yifan's wrist. Still standing in the circle of salt he began to trace more circle patterns while muttering an incantation to himself. When he stopped and walked out of the circle, it lit up with the same blinding white light that Baekhyun usually produced from his hands and Jongdae looked away. When he looked again, Yifan was just laying on the floor, sobbing silently to himself.

 

“I...won't tell Zitao,” Jongdae promised him. “Please talk to him.”

 

Baekhyun grabbed Jongdae's arm. “Let's go. There's more to this than a demon falling in love with a human. But that's his problem.”

 

**Coming here was a good idea.**

 

Jongdae didn't think so. He hadn't wanted to see his teacher and his friend's brother like that.

 

**I know who Changmin is. And by the looks of it, so does Baekhyun.**

 

**✞**

  


Jongdae had locked himself in his bedroom once they were back to his apartment. Baekhyun had excused himself sensing Jongdae wished for some time to be alone. The exorcist had to tell Zitao that the demon was gone and his house was safe to return to and whatever excuse he came up with for why Zitao should leave a depressed and broken hearted Teacher Wu alone for a while. What had actually happened in that room in Zitao's house was still lost to Jongdae. Some sort of tragic love story? Insanity? Minseok had said Yifan was lonely. He loved him, but he was so desperately lonely. He understood that Yifan had performed some ritual to keep Minseok alive in the human realm after Baekhyun's initial purification of the house, but he didn't know the specifics. He he tried to think about it, perhaps, Jongdae thought, he could have remembered some points that would have hinted at Wu Yifan's need for companionship and his tendency to cling to it, but it had been a while since Jongdae had been very interested in Zitao's older step-brother.

 

Zitao would probably call Jongdae later crying his head off, so Jongdae pulled his phone out, lowered the ringer to just a whisper, and put it on top of his desk before taking a seat in his desk chair which was starting too get too lumpy for comfort. Zitao was the kind of guy who seemed tough on first impression, but was deeply in tune with his emotions. However, Zitao wouldn't call Yixing first. His boyfriend was such a sweet guy, even Baekhyun had said the elder young man had been blessed by a charity of kindness, which made Zitao not want to bother him and weigh that angelic smile down with all his emotional baggage. He would bother Kyungsoo first. Kyungsoo would tell him to man up, probably punch his arm with a stern glare, and promise one of the kittens he was now housing to Zitao once they were old enough. Then, Zitao would call Jongdae and the tears would flow, first because Kyungsoo hit him and was mean and he would whine about that, then he would whine about his brother and how he had always thought he was too cute of a younger brother to let depression in and that he would beat up whoever broke Yifan's heart. Jongdae usually managed to calm Zitao down enough to get him to agree to going to Yixing in previous episodes of the younger's hysterics. He hoped he could do so now, but it was still Yixing's arms that did the trick. Jongdae wasn't sure how they ever managed Zitao without him. Maybe that was back before Zitao stopped needing his new beloved brother to kiss all his wushu bruises.

 

Jongdae wondered if his own brother had ever liked him enough to feel depressed when Jongdae suddenly didn't need him for something. All Jongdae remembered of him was the porn. Not even his face really. He had one old family picture his uncle had given him when Jongdae first moved in since everything else had burnt up in the apartment fire. It was back when his brother was just a baby and their parents, fresh faced newlyweds. That was all.

 

**What happened to your family?**

Hearing Chanyeol's voice in Jongdae's solitary thoughts surprised him. He had been too deep to remember Chanyeol existed there, a small hum in the back of his mind. Jongdae didn't particularly want to talk about it. He never had. Unlike Zitao, Jongdae didn't have arms he could go to and cry and spill his heart out to.

 

**I won't judge you if you want to cry.**

Chanyeol's words were sweet, but that was all they were. Jongdae had nothing more to say on the matter. His family had died in an electrical fire. The firefighters had said it was just negligence of wires, perhaps a mouse. Jongdae didn't think a mouse could have made such clean cuts. The police had inspected a possible burglary in which the thief cut the wires, but there was no proof and everything had burned and Jongdae had told the police there had been no one else inside. Only him and the now long dead burnt bodies of his closest family members.

 

**It was an electrical fire? Were you a very angry child?**

 

Chanyeol must have known all of this already. He lived in Jongdae's head and not a day went by when Jongdae didn't at least think about climbing out the window to the fire escape to curl up and wait for the fire to stop, wait for his parents to join him outside, wait for his brother's naked burning body to run out screaming and fall over the railing of the fire escape. He had been so very angry for so long for no reason.

 

**How did you feel after you knew what happened to your family?**

The therapist at the hospital had asked him the same thing back then. Numb. For weeks he was just numb because he knew, Jongdae knew, that it had all been his fault. It wasn't until he was with his uncle that he cried for the first time, literally broke down. It wasn't until he met Kyungsoo and all that anger resurfaced again. Sometimes Jongdae was still surprised they had ended up friends in the end.

 

**It's hard to see you as a bully, Jongdae.**

 

Well, he had been. His uncle had beaten him so many times because of all the calls he would receive from the school. He had even been exorcised. It was some time after one of them that Jongdae finally calmed down. That exorcism had come in the form of Zitao's foot to his face.

 

**Speaking of the little ninja, your phone is ringing.**

 

Jongdae stared at his vibrating phone for a while before picking it up and slowly moved to his bed. “Hello?”

 

“Hyung~~~~~! Jongdae~~~~! Baekhyun said it was safe to go home, but my brother took all the ice cream into his bedroom with the laptop and locked the door~~~~~!”

 

Jongdae grinned and laid on his bed. Ice cream and porn seemed like an efficient way to recover.

 

**✞**

 

Red eyes stared back at Jongdae in the mirror. They stared for long even after Jongdae moved away and back to his toys spread across his bedroom floor like the the aftermath of the storm known as a child's tantrum. The eyes followed him out of his bedroom even, into the hall, a fuzzy stuffed bear with its half torn off arm held tight in Jongdae's hand. Jongdae walked to the door at the end of the small hall and creaked the door opened, the lock broken months ago from another of Jongdae's tantrums. His brother lay on the bed, flipping through a magazine, naked. He called out to his brother. The older boy sat up and threw the magazine at Jongdae along with words that, so young, Jongdae couldn't understand, but he knew they were bad and he rushed away back to his bedroom. Their parents were not home. They hardly were. Working. Ever since Jongdae could talk, they had worked, but Jongdae could only guess they hated him. His parents worked because they hated him. His brother wouldn't play with him because he hated him. The eyes in the mirror seemed to hate him, too. No, they longed for him. Jongdae approached the mirror. He lifted his hand and touched the red eyes that were now his eyes. He stared at his own reflection, only it wasn't him. His vision swirled and popped until he was looking through a hazy veil of red. Then, he moved back down the hall. Something cold was in his hand. Jongdae didn't know what it was until he lifted it to his brother's door and began to dig it in. His brother yelled for him to stop and it was only then that Jongdae noticed the child scissors he had used to scratch in very small Korean, words he didn't know he knew and then he was laughing.

 

“Jongdae! Jongdae!”

 

Jongdae woke with a gasp that he started choking on. He pounded a fist on his chest and reached out. A glass was put in his hand and he looked around, blinking the blurry of sleep away to see Baekhyun knelt before him with a worried look on his pale face. “Baekhyun?”

 

“Oh good, it's you this time,” Baekhyun said with relief.

 

“What do you mean 'it's you this time'? When is it not me?”

 

Baekhyun took the glass from Jongdae and put it back on the nightstand. “When it's Chanyeol. When I started sleeping here, I notice you tend to have nightmares. You sat up a couple times wide awake, but it was Chanyeol. He knows when you're having nightmares. If he takes over, he can sort of calm you down. I didn't really understand it at first.”

 

“I don't understand at all,” Jongdae said. “Chanyeol's been taking over when I sleep?”

 

Baekhyun reached out and took Jongdae's hand between both of his. Jongdae studied his boyfriend's face. There were dark circles under his eyes he had noticed growing since they had exorcised Zitao's brother's 'boyfriend'. “What's wrong?”

 

“Don't be angry with Chanyeol. When he explained it to me, I understood why he would do that. He didn't go anywhere with your body, I would have known, he just laid in bed so you could sleep peacefully.”

 

“They're just nightmares. I didn't mean to make either of you worry about me,” Jongdae said.

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “They're not just nightmares. The first time I was awoke and found Chanyeol and not you, Chanyeol told me something. He didn't seem to want to, he thought you should, but...I like you a lot, Jongdae. Naturally, I want to help you.”

 

“What do I need help with? I mean other than getting Chanyeol out of me and the usual teenage crap?” Jongdae was confused, but also scared. Had Chanyeol told Baekhyun about the fire?

 

“Have you been possessed before?”

 

The question sounded stupid to Jongdae at first. He pulled back and scrunched his face up. “You've got to be kidding me! Wouldn't someone know if they had been possessed before?”

 

“Not if the demon was controlling them most of the time. Not if they were five.”

 

Jongdae frowned. Then, he thought. “Maybe. Well, I mean I never considered it before. Demons and the like didn't exist. I was just a really horrible child. What demon would possess a child?”

 

“A very strong demon. Who exorcised you?” Baekhyun seemed to be in a very serious mood now. Work mode.

 

Jongdae ran a hand through his hair. He didn't understand what all this was about. Occasionally, he did have nightmares about that fire and his bullying years. He had more now, but he just figured that was because of the stress of being possessed. Why did Chanyeol have to put silly thoughts in Baekhyun's mind about the possibility Jongdae might have been possessed before. He was pretty sure he hadn't been.

 

“I really think this is silly.”

 

“Jongdae, please answer the question. It might help getting Chanyeol out of you and sending Sehun back. Sehun won't leave until he finds this Changmin Wrath Demon and Chanyeol won't leave without Sehun.”

 

“I really don't see how this helps. There was just some weird neighbor that cornered me after the fire. I don't really remember what happened. I don't remember a lot that happened before I moved in with my uncle.”

 

“Well. Whoever they are, they did a shitty job. They killed the demon, they didn't exorcise him,” Baekhyun explained.

 

“You don't kill demons?” Jongdae asked.

 

“Not when they're in someone. The host can suffer years of side effects if you kill the demon in them.”

 

“I...was angry for a really long time,” Jongdae said and slowly moved his hand away from his head. He stared at the wall across from his bed, at the poster of singing schools and his favorite singers. “Kyungsoo, I—”

 

“I know, Jongdae. Kyungsoo talked to me about how you met before. Zitao as well. I could hardly believe you use to be like that. I thought Zitao had seriously kicked some sense into you.” There was a slight laugh in Baekhyun's words. Jongdae chuckled, too, but didn't look away from the wall.

 

“I thought that, too. But, demons. Was it really demons all along? They were just nightmares.”

 

“They're not nightmares, Jongdae, they're memories,” Baekhyun said. “Your memories.”

 

Jongdae lowered his head and punched his bed hard, teeth gritting. “Damn demons! My brother...my...I thought...I thought it was me all along and you're saying it was a demon! Damn it!”

  
Immediately, arms wrapped about Jongdae. Baekhyun's arms. Baekhyun moved in close, nuzzled against Jongdae's neck. Jongdae could feel words wanting to escape Baekhyun's lips, but he pressed them as kisses against Jongdae's skin instead. Jongdae didn't want an 'I'm sorry' or 'It's okay'. He didn't want a 'not all demons'. He held Baekhyun back, kissed back, and was thankful for the silence from his boyfriend, but most of all, he was grateful Chanyeol said nothing.


	13. The First Time Is Not Perfect

**13\. The First Time Is Not Perfect**

 

    Teacher Wu was absent the next day, a Thursday. The girls from the school close by whined about it by comparing Teacher Wu to every unattractive guy that walked through the school's gate to head for a grueling day of classes. Jongdae held tight to Baekhyun's hand as they walked in. The girls didn't say much about them or Zitao and Kyungsoo walking up behind them they had met two blocks away with silent greetings. Zitao smelled strongly of cream cakes which meant he had gone to see Yixing and probably stayed the night instead of moping outside Yifan's bedroom door. None of them had really talked this morning so Jongdae wasn't sure how Zitao fared after coming home to an exorcised house. All Jongdae could really think about from the previous night was his conversation with Baekhyun about the loss of his family. He had fallen asleep on Baekhyun's shoulder, he was pretty sure and woke up with his nose buried in a puddle of drool he'd left on Baekhyun's stomach using it as a pillow. Baekhyun didn't seem terribly grossed out by it and had pecked the clean side of his face a few times in morning greeting.

 

Baekhyun was comforting. Jongdae knew he liked the exorcist, but he was being more than Jongdae had thought. His heart clenched a little every time he thought of the warmth of Baekhyun's arms or the gentleness of those long white fingers. Baekhyun's personality was not gentle, but his actions were. He could be considerate. In the midst of all Jongdae's thoughts about that fire more than half his life ago, he had started falling for Baekhyun even more. In just one night, he was sure he was in love. It might just have been his desperation for love, but Jongdae made sure to hold Baekhyun's hand tight all the way to class and when Baekhyun climbed on top of his desk, Jongdae laid his head in his lap and watched Kyungsoo take his desk and Zitao pull a chair up to them after setting his stuff by his own desk across the room.

 

“Kyungsoo said I could have a kitten,” Zitao said.

 

“I figured he would,” Jongdae lifted a hand and placed it on Baekhyun's knee, squeezing.

 

“Yeah, I'm thinking the black kitty,” Zitao said. “She has one fluffy black kitten, one tuxedo, and then the rest are white like her.”

 

“Aren't you superstitious? You sure you want a black cat?” Baekhyun asked and ran his long fingers through Jongdae's hair in his lap.

 

“Why, what's wrong with it? It's fluffy. Besides, Kyungsoo said he's keeping the mother and the tuxedo kitty.”

 

“Nothing. Black cats aren't any different from regular cats,” Baekhyun corrected.

 

Jongdae could feel Baekhyun smiling a bit as he combed his fingers through Jongdae's hair. His fingers trailed to his face and Baekhyun started tracing the lines of Jongdae's sharp jaw.

 

“Are you two dating or something?” Zitao suddenly asked, quietly, so their other classmates wouldn't get suspicious. They were already suspicious of Zitao, but Zitao knew how to fight. He had a whole row of plaques in the sports office just from last year with his accomplishments. “You're awfully touchy as of late.”

 

Baekhyun nodded and traced Jongdae's lips. Jongdae opened his mouth to bite them. They were getting awfully close to crossing the line of skinship.

 

Zitao squealed. “That's so cute! I like this pairing a lot. Kyungsoo~~~ when do I get to meet your lover? You said he was the one that gave you the kittens.”

 

Kyungsoo frowned and scooted lower in his desk reading a comic. “When he has time. I said he was a busy man.”

 

“Oooh, man, makes him sound quite a bit older. And hot!”

 

Jongdae laughed at Kyungsoo's obvious discomfort with Zitao's excitement over Junmyeon. He was glad Zitao hadn't bothered them too much about dating, he hadn't particularly been planning on telling him yet, but it seemed they were all in a peaceful lull now that they were at school and needed distractions to keep them going. Jongdae started moving his thumb on Baekhyun's knee and felt his boyfriend shiver.

 

“Is there a Kim Jongdae?” someone asked peeking in through the door. A classmate pointed Jongdae out and the student turned to him. “Someone from my class wants to see you.”

 

Jongdae frowned. He didn't really know anyone from another class other than Baekhyun. Perhaps it was someone from the singing club or Jongin. He stood, flattened his Baekhyun mussed hair down, and followed after the kid.

 

**I don't think you should be following him.**

Jongdae hadn't heard Chanyeol since yesterday and had actually begun to worry a bit. He wasn't sure what the Lust Demon was talking about now. This was probably just something for music club.

 

The student led Jongdae to the next hall where a taller student, a third year, hands in pockets and a menacing look in his eyes, stood. Jongdae felt a bit intimidated and approached cautiously.

 

“You Kim Jongdae?” the third year asked.

 

“Uh, yeah. You are?”

 

“The guy that's going to teach you a lesson,” said the third year and suddenly there was a fist flying at Jongdae's face.

 

Jongdae fell back and rubbed his jaw. He hadn't expected to get punched at school. This guy wasn't from the music club, and other than being good at singing, Jongdae didn't think he had much that could get someone angry with him.

 

**I told you you shouldn't have followed that kid. He brought you to a fight. I don't think this is a natural fight.**

 

Jongdae didn't understand, but he stood back up. “What was that for?Why are you picking a fight with me?”

 

The third year laughed. “Why wouldn't I? You use to touch my girl, right?”

 

“Your girl? I haven't dated in a long time.”

 

“Doesn't matter when you did, you still did,” the third year said and then back onto the floor Jongdae went.

 

“Hey, stop that!”

 

Jongdae saw Baekhyun fly by him with a high kick to the third year's head when he came in for another punch to Jongdae's floor laden body. It was pretty impressive. He was going to get up before Baekhyun could kick the guy again, the lights in the hall started flickering and then suddenly another guy came at them then another and soon all the students who had come out of their classes to see the commotion were on each other and Jongdae barely managed to get up before Baekhyun grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the fray.

  


**✞**

 

They stumbled into Jongdae's apartment an hour later after the teachers had broken up the fight and come looking for Jongdae. After a quick assessment that Jongdae honestly had no idea why the third year wanted to fight him , they allowed Baekhyun to take him home and have the rest of the day off. There was a humming in Jongdae's head from a worried Chanyeol, but mostly he just felt the throb of his bruised jaw and his shin felt hot, too. He thought someone had stepped on him or kicked him when he was still on the floor.

 

“The couch or your bed?” Baekhyun asked, hunching with the weight of Jongdae's arm around his shoulder leaning on him. It hurt to walk properly with the burning on his shin.

 

“Bed. I think I just want to lay down for a while. It wasn't a good day to go to school.”

 

Baekhyun helped him into his bed and offered him his half full glass of stale water that had been sitting there since last night. Jongdae drank it anyways and lightly touched his chin. He winced.

 

“Does it hurt horribly?”

 

Jongdae moved his hand to his shin and hissed. “They're pretty bad. I think we should get the swelling down before it gets too bad.”

 

“How do you do that? Painkillers?”

 

“Um, just get some warm water and put a bunch of sea salt in it then bring it here with a rag,” Jongdae said. When Zitao had tried teaching him how to do wushu, Jongdae often got hit with the pole or the nunchucks. Zitao's master always had salt and a bucket with towels in the training room and Zitao would explain his master would use it to help his own wounds while he made a mess of doing it for Jongdae.

 

Baekhyun had the bowl of warm salt water prepared quickly and set it aside before moving his hands to Jongdae's pant buttons, long white fingers beginning to slide the button open. Jongdae jerked and reached out, eyes wide.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Baekhyun frowned and looked away. His ears were red. “I can't pat your leg if you're wearing pants. “

 

“I can do it myself,” Jongdae chuckled.

 

Baekhyun wiggled Jongdae's hand away and roughly finished undoing Jongdae's pants. “I'm your boyfriend, I'm suppose to be the nurse, right?”

 

Nurse? Jongdae looked Baekhyun up and down then grinned. “I don't mind you nursing me then, but are you really going to have me in my boxers?”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and moved to tug Jongdae's pants off. “Like I haven't walked around your apartment with less.”

 

Yes, yes he had. Jongdae laid back and closed his eyes letting Baekhyun situate him how he liked before getting the salt water bowl and starting to dab at the red spot on Jongdae's shin.

 

“Doesn't look too bad. Should I just leave it there?” Baekhyun asked.

 

Jongdae nodded and tried to keep his leg still.

 

Baekhyun moved up on the bed. Jongdae hissed when he felt another salt water soaked cloth on his jaw, but smiled when he felt Baekhyun's fingers lightly caressing the unbruised parts of his face as he dabbed at Jongdae's chin with the cloth. He smiled even more when the cloth was pulled away and replaced with soft kisses that stung, but Jongdae thought they were a much better sting than the salt and they trailed up his face to his temple.

 

Jongdae let out a soft sigh. “Those feel good. What's up with the kisses though?”

 

“I like you a lot,” Baekhyun said. His voice was soft and held a bit of strain.

 

Jongdae opened his eyes to peek at Baekhyun. His face was scrunched up a bit and Jongdae reached out to grip the exorcist's hand. “What is it?”

 

“I just...I have never worried about someone as much as I've worried about you. I thought you were very attractive even back in that witch's house back home. But, I live a dangerous life. I wasn't going to act on the attraction, but I think I would have regretted it. Even now, you got hurt and I don't know if it was just because a third year dated your ex-girlfriend from middle school or if it was something bigger, something demonic.”

 

“Could it have been?” Jongdae asked. He had his thumb caressing Baekhyun's elbow.

 

“I don't know. I just grabbed you and ran. I shouldn't have though. You're strong. I mean, you're not even afraid of ghosts.”

 

“Nope,” Jongdae said and grinned. “I think people are a lot more scary than even demons are.”

 

Baekhyun chuckled. “That's true I think.”

 

“Then what are you beating yourself over?”

 

Baekhyun pulled away and stood staring down at Jongdae. “I'm not real sure, but I know two things. I don't want you to get hurt and I want you to feel good.”

 

Jongdae pointed at his cheek where Baekhyun had been kissing only a minute ago. “I think I feel a lot better already. They're just bruises. I think Kyungsoo's choking hurts more than this. And kisses from a cute boyfriend help.”

 

Baekhyun raised a brow. “Do they now?” He leaned down and Jongdae closed his eyes as he felt Baekhyun press their lips together. At first it was soft, but Baekhyun tilted his head and lightly licked Jongdae's lips with his tongue easily entering. When Baekhyun pulled away, Jongdae felt warm and he watched Baekhyun feeling a bit paralyzed as the exorcists began undoing his school uniform. It wasn't until Baekhyun slipped his undershirt off and stood at the side of Jongdae's bed shirtless that Jongdae was able to move again.

 

“W-what are you doing?”

 

Baekhyun held a finger out at Jongdae to shush him then started undoing his pants. He pulled them off in one easy movement and Jongdae's eyes immediately moved to slightly below Baekhyun's center of gravity. He was completely naked, hand on those hips that were definitely nice and curvy just like Jongdae imagined them to be. And white, milky white. Baekhyun climbed onto the bed and straddled Jongdae's lap. His butt pressed down on his groin and Jongdae was immediately alive.

 

“I'm playing nurse. Don't make me change my mind.”

 

Nurse. Jongdae would have laughed. He would have reached out and grabbed Baekhyun's hips, flipped them over, kisses his boyfriend senseless, then put some sense into him by stopping it there. But, Jongdae was a seventeen year old virgin with a naked hot boyfriend sitting on his hard on and he found it extremely hard to say no. Or anything really other than moans. Maybe he'd be able to say Baekhyun's name if he kept trying.

 

Baekhyun leaned over him towards his side table. A canvas of white with pretty dark maroon nipples poking down at him. White chest. Nipples. Could he touch them? Jongdae wanted to touch them.

 

**Oh shit!**

 

Oh shit was right. He frowned though hearing Chanyeol's voice in his head and closed his eyes so the Lust Demon wouldn't be able to see.

 

**Not interested, but I think I'll take a nap. Wake me up when you're not a virgin anymore.**

 

Not a virgin. Jongdae looked up, followed a long swan like neck, then met Baekhyun's blurry dark eyes as he moved back down, a small tube in one hand.

 

“I thought you said you masturbated to me. This isn't even opened,” Baekhyun said then uncapped the small tube of eucalyptus smelling lube Jongdae had originally bought for Zitao as a joke and never gave it to him. “I guess that means you want me to bottom.”

 

Was Baekhyun really planning on having sex with Jongdae? Right now? Why?

 

Lube coated fingers disappeared behind Baekhyun and his face slowly glowed pink, eyes fluttering. Jongdae didn't know if he should stare at his face or at the organ he could feel bouncing onto his shirt. He just laid there, eyes wide, totally ignorant to the stings of his bruises right then. Baekhyun was starting to put some friction onto his crotch from all the moving he was doing on his fingers. Jongdae's head felt like it was going to explode. Baekhyun was basically fucking himself on top of Jongdae.

 

“J-Jongdae...you don't have to just lay there. You can touch me,” Baekhyun said. He looked like he was having trouble speaking.

 

Touch him? Was Jongdae allowed to do that?

 

“P-please touch me, Jongdae,” Baekhyun whined. He whined!

 

Jongdae sat up in one quick motion and had his arms wrapped around Baekhyun's waist, feeling it, feeling his hips. He kissed him hard. It hurt, but Jongdae didn't pull away until his mouth was throbbing. He moved kisses along Baekhyun's neck, across his smooth shoulders. He moved down his collar and managed enough courage to lick a dusky nipple. Baekhyun jerked and his fingers came free, slick coated, grabbing onto Jongdae's shirt.

 

“J-Jongdae, lay down,” Baekhyun instructed. Jongdae did so, hands moving to Baekhyun's thighs, squeezing them. They were firm.

 

Jongdae almost came just with having those long pretty fingers wrap around his quivering penis as Baekhyun pulled it out from the confines of his boxers. Baekhyun had knelt up a bit to get at it, and he stroked it a few times, a look of amazement on his face along with a bit of nervousness and Jongdae had the words 'you don't have to' on the tip of his tongue. They didn't have to, but let all Lust Demons stay virgins if he didn't want to.

 

The feeling of rippled heat surrounding Jongdae's penis was better than he imagined, better than the friction between two pillows from the desperation of puberty, better than that freshmen's hand down his pants that time the lights had gone out in gym early in the year (it had been two strokes and then the light was back on and the hand was gone and Jongdae was left wondering which freshmen had done it and trying not to finish himself off when they were allowed to hit the showers early). Baekhyun breath hard on top of him, he was gripping Jongdae's school shirt hard, mouth forming a rectangle from exertion, and squeezing and unsqueezing around Jongdae's member. Jongdae remembered Baekhyun was a virgin, too.

 

Well, was.

 

“Baekhyun, you...” Jongdae started.

 

Baekhyun shook his head and lifted his hips. “No, I'm fine. I thought I was wide enough. Did you get bigger the moment you were inside?” There was a chuckle at the end of his words and he started shallowly moving his hips.

 

It was torture, but Jongdae at least had control over his hips if not his mouth. And his hands. He moved one to Baekhyun's face. He touched it lightly and Baekhyun tilted his head into it. Jongdae could only be patient for a few seconds though. As soon as those whines started escaping Baekhyun's lips and his boyfriend's eyes began fluttering, Jongdae moved his hands back to Baekhyun's hips and drilled upwards.

 

“Oh! Jongdae! Jongdae, calm down!” Baekhyun gasped, eyes wide, but blurry and slowly he sank back into it, bouncing on Jongdae's lap, moving with the sudden harsh thrusts. “Oh, wow...” Baekhyun's voice trailed off into rough huffs of breaths and he moved one hand from it's death trap on Jongdae's shirt to his member, white long elegant fingers fapping off his long ferocious pink dick. Jongdae didn't know where to look between Baekhyun's face or his hand on his member, but his eyes ended up there when he came, seed splashing onto Jongdae's school shirt, but he caught Baekhyun's face after orgasm, dark hair sweaty and in his eyes that were blurry and not really looking anywhere as he tried to catch his breath, still being bounced on Jongdae's lap.

 

Jongdae was having sex.

 

There was a pooling in Jongdae's belly and with one particularly strong after orgasm spasm from Baekhyun, Jongdae came.

 

He had had sex.

 

**✞**

 

It was four in the afternoon when Jongdae woke up having fallen asleep after that little burst of energy. His body felt like limp noodles and he sat up with some effort only to roll off the bed when he saw a naked Baekhyun in bed next to him. Naked. Right, they had had sex for the first time. All the memories of it flashed before Jongdae's eyes and he felt his gut twitch in guilt. It had been awkward and random and not at all what Jongdae had planned for their first time. He scampered off the floor and into clean clothes and quickly headed down to the Chinese restaurant below his apartment.

 

**Jongdae, you shouldn't leave him alone like that.**

 

Jongdae didn't want to talk to Chanyeol right now. He was probably ecstatic over the event. He couldn't muster as much excitement over it. Why right then? He ordered some black bean noodles and found a quiet table in the corner.

 

**Wow, you're ungrateful. He just gave you his virginity and you're all moody because it wasn't the way you wanted. It was a lot more romantic than my first time. He was even playing nurse. How cute is that?**

 

It had been cute. Jongdae stirred his noodles slowly, getting them completely coated in sauce.

 

**Exactly. Besides, he really likes you. He worries about you so much. I don't really talk to Baekhyun, but I'm sure he's come to the same conclusion about that fight at school as I have.**

 

Conclusion?

 

**Yeah. The Wrath Demon is looking for something. He's looking for the boy with the High Wrath demon's ashes.**

 

Changmin was looking for him.

 

“Jongdae, oh, there you are,” Baekhyun called from across the restaurant. He was wearing Jongdae's shorts and t-shirt and probably nothing else. His dark hair was mussed and it looked like he had a hickey on his neck that Jongdae didn't remember putting there, but he didn't remember doing a lot. “Why did you leave without waking me?”

 

“I...wanted some alone time. I mean, you do all that earlier and then I find out you're lying to me,” Jongdae said and stabbed his noodles a couple times with his chopsticks.

 

“Lying?” Baekhyun took the seat in front of Jongdae. “What do you mean, lying?”

 

“That stuff you did earlier, you did it so you wouldn't have to tell me that a Wrath Demon is after me.”

 

Baekhyun's eyes widened then his eyebrows furrowed and he leaned in. “Chanyeol told you something, didn't he? Did he say that's what was happening, with the Wrath Demon? I don't know much about demon ashes, so I wasn't sure what was going on.”

 

“So, that is why you did it.”

 

“Did what? Have sex with you? Are you angry over that?” Baekhyun scoffed. He looked incredulous and when Jongdae didn't answer right away, he looked pissed. “You think I would hop on your dick, my first dick thank you very much, just so I wouldn't have to tell you a demon was after you? I'm still not even a hundred percent that's what's going on. What do you want from me?”

 

Jongdae pushed his noodles aside and gritted his teeth. “I want to know why you did that so suddenly.”

 

“Why? Because you're my boyfriend and I wanted to make you feel better.”

 

“Feel better? It was just a couple bruises. You don't have to use your body to make me feel better,” Jongdae argued.

 

“I can't? Why can't I? If you didn't want to, you could have said no.”

 

“It's kind of hard to say no when your boyfriend climbs naked on top of you and starts grinding down on your lap.”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “You could have said no. I wasn’t holding you down. I made it very clear what I was planning. You could have pushed me away. You're stronger than you think. There was quite a bit of time there where you could have been like ‘I’m flattered but no’. I didn't want to bring you into my exorcist life, but you just slid right in and handled it. You're not even afraid of ghosts, but you're freaking out over sex!”

 

Was he freaking out? Was he making a big deal over this? “It wasn't romantic at all.”

 

Baekhyun laughed. “Are first times supposed to be romantic? We're both virgins. Were virgins. I mean, yeah sure I know how to stretch myself, but awkward virgin sex is always going to be awkward virgin sex. I don't need a bed covered in roses and a candlelit dinner. I just need you.”

 

Baekhyun's voice had gotten softer with each word and his ears were red by the time he was done. Jongdae had to look away feeling embarrassed by Baekhyun's confession as well.

 

“Oh,” was all he managed to say.

 

Baekhyun sighed. “I like you, Jongdae.”

 

“I like you, too,” Jongdae said. “But, what about the demon stuff?”

 

“We will talk to the others about that, it has nothing to do with our private lives, Jongdae. Certainly I may have been thinking about it and maybe that's how I got the courage to start it, but ultimately I started it because I wanted to,” Baekhyun said. “I'm not going to regret that choice. Are you?”

 

Choice. Jongdae could have said no. He hadn't. “No, I don't regret it.”

 

Baekhyun stood. “Then quit mopping down here and come back to bed so we can cuddle. You might be the one that kissed first, but I'm not letting you go, so I'm not going to let you get hurt. We'll have more chances in the future for romantic sex, I promise.”

 

More chances. Jongdae didn't have any plans on letting a demon hurt him, either, or Baekhyun. A slow smile spread on his lips. “I'm going to romance your socks off, Byun Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun smiled back. “I would hope so. Sex with socks just sounds weird.”


	14. Do Not Expect Greatness with a Second Chance

**14\. Do Not Expect Greatness with a Second Chance**

 

    “So, about you fingering yourself.”

 

“Why are you bringing that up right now?” Baekhyun asked trying not to choke on the specialty sandwiches Kyungsoo had brought them for lunch as they sat outside by the air conditioner, their new private hang out spot during lunch or so Jongdae had dubbed it with the intention of getting in school sex at some point before Baekhyun had to leave back to his grandmother's after all this demon stuff was over. He would be sad about a long distance relationship, but it wasn't that long distance, and there was still a chance Baekhyun might come up with an excuse to stay longer though Jongdae wasn't sure where he would stay once his uncle came back home.

 

“You can't think I wouldn't bring it up. I mean, you were working yourself pretty hard there,” Jongdae teased and Baekhyun kicked his foot with his.

 

“You enjoyed it so don't act like it was weird.”

 

Jongdae nodded. He couldn't disagree with that. “But where did you learn to do it? The stretching, I mean.”

 

“Don't you know how? You certainly must have seen it in a porno or something. I just practiced, that's all. Sometimes jobs get lonely and I get sent on jobs often.”

 

Jongdae nudged Baekhyun's shoulder. “Who'd you fuck yourself to?”

 

“Quit saying it like that or I won't do it in front of you again,” Baekhyun said and took a bite of his sandwich, mumbling under his breath something about hot teachers.

 

Jongdae chuckled and chewed on his own sandwich, memories of their first time the previous day filling his cheeks with warmth. He wasn't a virgin anymore. He had been somewhat avoiding Kyungsoo and Zitao because of it knowing they would realize it even without the scent of cum that probably covered Jongdae.

 

 **You do smell like it,** Chanyeol assured. **It's not very strong and it's hard to smell you from Baekhyun other than Baekhyun has the exorcist smell.**

 

Jongdae turned his head and nuzzled it in Baekhyun's neck suddenly. Baekhyun laughed and nudged Jongdae off. Jongdae was fine with Baekhyun smelling like him.

 

“Wow, it smells. I almost thought you two weren't dating at all with the lack of lust about you,” a voice suddenly said beside them.

 

Jongdae turned to see Kim Jongin sitting on the railing of the little wall that kept the air conditioner in secret. “Oh, what do you want Jongin?” Jongdae had been hoping for a peaceful fluffy lunch with his lover and boyfriend.

 

Jongin tapped an imaginary watch on his wrist. “Time's ticking. Lu Han wants to discuss a plan to catch that Wrath Demon that's after your boyfriend.”

 

“You told Teacher Lu about the demon already?” Jongdae asked.

 

“Yeah. You didn't want me to go to class with you because your friends would tease us, so I went ahead with business.”

 

Jongdae sighed, but stood. “Let's go get this over with. The sooner we get it over with, the more days we can have relaxing before you can't lie about not being finished yet.”

 

Baekhyun smiled and took Jongdae's hand as they followed after Jongin to the music room where Kyungsoo was sitting at a piano humming notes and matching pitches with the keys, Teacher Lu standing behind him. Teacher Lu turned to them when they entered and removed a pair of glasses from his face.

 

“Ah, you guys are here already. Jongin, you can return to perimeter duty.”

 

Jongin nodded, stole a quick kiss from Teacher Lu, and disappeared. Kyungsoo stood an excused himself to join Jongin in perimeter duty and Jongdae promised to fill him in later on everything. He had given Jongdae and Baekhyun one of those knowing suspicious glances.

 

“Okay, so what do we know so far?” Teacher Lu asked. He had a notebook with him that looked like the ones he used for grading, but Jongdae could see circle markings inside similar to the ones Baekhyun used to capture demons.

 

“There's a Greater Wrath Demon named Changmin that escaped from the other world and we believe he is after Jongdae,” Baekhyun relayed.

 

“And why do we think that?” Teacher Lu asked.

 

“Because apparently I was possessed from an even higher Wrath Demon when I was a child and some weirdo exorcist screwed up his exorcism and killed it inside me so I had to deal with a decomposing spiritual entity that gave me quite a bit of an anger management problem with I was little. Is that about right?” Jongdae asked. That was what he had gotten from what Baekhyun and Chanyeol had been telling him.

 

Baekhyun shrugged.

 

**Yes.**

 

“Chanyeol said 'yes',” Jongdae relayed.

 

**And I think there's some magic you can perform using a dead Greater Demon's ashes.**

 

“Chanyeol said something about using Greater Demon ashes for magic,” Jongdae said.

 

Baekhyun made a face. “Good thing this is only a high demon then. High demons can take form like Sehun and Jongin do, but if this one's looking to do a spell then he's going to want to conserve energy so we're looking at one that would possess a person. Obviously, he was that kid from yesterday that punched you, but he's surely moved on from there.”

 

“What I don't understand is why he's here in the first place. I mean, why now?” Jongdae asked. “Why didn't he come immediately?”

 

“Well, they probably didn't know the Greater Wrath demon was dead for a while. Then he would have had to wait for someone to open a portal in a strong enough area. There's a lot of other world energy where Grandma lives, that's why we live there. Any stupid kid who got their hands on information like Teacher Wu did could open a portal big enough to let him out. I did say there was a fire close by, right? It was probably the day you arrived even,” Baekhyun explained. “Sehun followed him out as did the Gluttony Demon. That's probably why he was so weak by the time he made it to Zitao's brother.”

 

**I'm not sure how many days it was before I went after Sehun. I was giving him some time, but then I found out he had left.**

 

“So none of this would have happened if only I had gone to China this summer?” Jongdae asked.

 

“There's some real spiritual places in China, too,” Baekhyun pointed out.

 

**And you wouldn't have met your exorcist boyfriend.**

Chanyeol made more of a point. Jongdae sighed. “Okay, so what's the plan.”

 

Teacher Lu pulled out the sheet he had drawn circles on in his grade book. “We're going to put a bunch of traps around the school. I've designed some that will only hold anything above what Sehun is, so Higher and Greater class only so that we shouldn’t be getting any random possessed students stuck in them and Chanyeol. And, Baekhyun, you have to make sure Jongdae is always with you, me, Jongin, Sehun, or the Charity Grace.”

 

Baekhyun nodded and grinned over at Jongdae. “I have a very good way of sticking myself to Jongdae.”

 

Jongdae raised a suggestive eyebrow back at Baekhyun. Making sexual jokes made all this fight talk easier to handle.

 

“Good, good, do that,” Teacher Lu said, the suggestion going right over his 'chaste' mind. “Now then, lunch is over. If you guys will stay after school, we can start covering the school in these marks in a random patterns so it won't be easy to move around them.”

 

The bell rang and Jongdae quickly grabbed Baekhyun around the waist and started to lead him out. “Deal, it's a date.”

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae's arm felt heavy when he arrived back at his apartment late that night. It had taken Teacher Lu, Jongin, Baekhyun, and him hours to get enough circles drawn around the school to deem Jongdae safe. Baekhyun stopped in the doorway in front of Jongdae and stretched out his arms, curving his back in a cat like manner, and let out a porn star's moan.

 

“Ugh, why is drawing so much more tiring than actual exorcising?” Baekhyun asked.

 

Jongdae couldn't answer, he was too busy staring at the line of skin now revealed above Baekhyun's pant line.

 

**Hey, are you getting ideas in your head? You seemed rather too upset yesterday to be thinking about doing it again today.**

That was exactly was he was thinking about, what he had been thinking about. Jongdae didn't have just a boyfriend, he had a lover and he was going to love up on him as much as he was allowed. But first, he wanted Chanyeol out of him for about an hour.

 

**You want me to take form? Yeah, I can do that. If I focus, I should still be able to collect energy from you even being downstairs in the restaurant. I'll let you have a private commentary-less love fest for about an hour.**

Two hours would be better, but Jongdae would take whatever Chanyeol would give him. He waited until Baekhyun had gone off to Jongdae's bedroom, stripping off his black school uniform as he went, to split with Chanyeol. He felt a bit woozy at first, but a glass of orange juice later, and Jongdae was ready to try this on his own terms.

 

Baekhyun was filing through Jongdae's music selection in just his undershirt, boxers, and socks. Jongdae slowly moved up behind him and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun's waist. “What are you doing?”

 

Baekhyun leaned back against him. “Snooping.”

 

“You can put some music on if you want,” Jongdae said and kissed along Baekhyun's neck, kissed the red mark he had made yesterday. “Did you get teased about the mark?”

 

Baekhyun giggled and craned his neck as if finding the kisses ticklish and picked out Jongdae's Ipod to hook up. “I didn't even know I had one until a guy in third period asked about it. He figured it was a mosquito because of how oblivious I acted.”

 

“I could make more,” Jongdae said and lowered his voice.

 

“Hmm, what are you trying to initiate here?” Baekhyun's voice was playful, but also a little hesitant.

 

Jongdae kissed up to Baekhyun's ear and slowly started pulling him backwards towards his bed. The closer to the bed they got, Jongdae began to turn Baekhyun so he was facing him. He let them fall onto the bed, keeping Baekhyun in his arms then rolled over on top of him. When he looked down at Baekhyun, the exorcist's eyes were gleaming.

 

“Can I take it you've accepted what happened yesterday?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“I accepted it when you came down and yelled some sense into me,” Jongdae said and leaned down to kiss Baekhyun, a slow sweet kiss that Jongdae added a small lick at the end when Jongdae pulled away. They shared a smile and Jongdae sat up, beginning to undo his own school uniform. When it came to the dress shirt, Baekhyun pushed his hands away and used those long perfect white fingers to flick open the pearl buttons and Jongdae was glad he hadn't worn an undershirt today as Baekhyun's hands pushed the fabric away and started feeling his chest. Jongdae didn't think he was much in that area. He didn't really work out, but he ate a lot, and he had the potential to have a body like Zitao's. It was there in the shallow lines of his chest muscles that Baekhyun traced with his model like fingers.

 

“You weren't shirtless last time,” Baekhyun said. He had a mischievous hint to his voice. “Maybe I'll leave some of my own marks on you.”

 

“Maybe I'll let you,” Jongdae responded and when Baekhyun raised a brow to question him, Jongdae only leaned in and captured those lips again. He pushed his tongue in, licked at the small rectangle of his boyfriend's mouth, twirled his tongue with Baekhyun's and Baekhyun moaned. He could feel the heat rising in Baekhyun's body from the air between them and moved his hand beneath Baekhyun's undershirt. Hot. He was hot already and Jongdae pulled away to push Baekhyun's shirt up. Baekhyun grabbed the edges of it and pulled it over his head having no qualms about being naked under Jongdae. Naked. Under him. Jongdae felt warmth in his lower regions. He placed a hand on Baekhyun's head, lightly stroked his hair, before urging him to turn his head. Jongdae leaned down and licked a stripe of Baekhyun's white swan neck and up to his ear where he nibbled on his earlobe.

 

“J-Jongdae,” Baekhyun groaned. His hands moved to Jongdae's back and well managed nails scraped up the skin there.

 

Jongdae pressed his lips against Baekhyun's ear, nose nuzzling into his dark hair. “Do you like this?” he asked, voice rough but nothing more than a whisper. “Do you like me touching you, slow, sweetly?”

 

“Yes,” Baekhyun hissed.

 

Jongdae could feel Baekhyun's answer pressing against his leg hot and throbbing already. “Do you want me to touch you more?”

 

“Yes, yes,” Baekhyun repeated. He moved his hands down Jongdae's back and pushed the tips of his fingers into the band of Jongdae's pants.

 

Jongdae pressed pecks against Baekhyun's ear then moved them down his neck and along his collarbone while also pushing down his boxers. His kisses reached Baekhyun's chest and he stared at those two dusky nipples against the white canvas of Baekhyun's fair chest as he worked his boxers off. When the exorcist was totally naked below him, Jongdae moved in and licked one.

 

“Oh! Jongdae, that's sensitive,” Baekhyun groaned.

 

In response, Jongdae began sucking it and placed a hand on Baekhyun's hip, his pretty shapely hip. When he moved his head to give the other nipple attention, Baekhyun grabbed his head and forced a rough kiss on him that Jongdae easily moved into, tongue twirling with tongue, and he could feel wetness running down their chins. Jongdae's hands moved to Baekhyun's legs, rubbing his firm thighs. When they broke for air, Jongdae sat up and began fiddling with his pants and boxers. Baekhyun whined and reached out for him.

 

“What's that noise for?” Jongdae asked and chuckled. “You want my pants off, right?”

 

Baekhyun nodded. “Hurry, hurry. Get naked faster.”

 

“Impatient much.” Jongdae managed to free himself and tried not to look like an idiot as he worked himself out of his pants. He was stiff already and honestly wanted to just pound into Baekhyun like he had last night, which had been wonderful really when he thought back on it, but he wanted it to be slower this time, more of making love then eagerly fucking his boyfriend. “We're going slow this time.”

 

Baekhyun groaned. “You're driving me crazy! I've never even masturbated this slow.”

 

Jongdae laughed. “I could make you even crazier?”

 

Baekhyun pouted. His ears were red and cheeks pink and lips wet. Jongdae thought he was unbearably adorable. “How are you going to manage that?”

 

Jongdae didn't bother answering. He was completely naked now and he leaned down to place kiss on Baekhyun's chest again. He moved them down Baekhyun's stomach, licking his soft abs and peppering pecks around his belly button. When he got to Baekhyun's dripping member, long and pink, he couldn't help but give it more attention. He licked its standing length and popped his lips around the tip. He hadn't really thought about sucking Baekhyun off before, usually it was the other way around which reminded him that he really hoped Baekhyun would do that for him one day.

 

Baekhyun arched at the attention and moaned loudly. “J-Jongdae! Y-you don't have to do that.”

 

Jongdae could feel precum sticking to his tongue and understood what Baekhyun met. He removed his mouth and continued his journey of Baekhyun's body. His lips kissed down one firm milky leg. Leaving a small mark at Baekhyun's knee. The exorcist was shivering from all the small touches and when Jongdae glanced at him when he reached Baekhyun's ankle, he saw Baekhyun chewing on his beautiful fingers, lust sparkling fluttering eyes. Jongdae kept eye contact with Baekhyun as he slowly slipped off Baekhyun’s right sock, Baekhyun's socks being the only clothing left on either of them, and kissed the top of Baekhyun's foot with a soft butterfly touch at first then slowly opened mouth kisses that ended with soft licks and he was glad Baekhyun's foot smelled freshly washed, but it tasted like Baekhyun.

 

“W-what are you...doing?” Baekhyun asked. His voice was strained. He was trying not to moan.

 

Jongdae grinned. “I promised to romance your socks off, didn't I?”

 

Baekhyun's eyes grew big and his face burst out in a flaming red. He tried to cover it with those pretty fingers and it was a few second until he muttered out a response. “I'm romanced, I'm romanced. Hurry and take off the other sock you kissing idiot.”

 

So cute. Jongdae obeyed though and put Baekhyun foot down to pick up the other. He removed the left sock, placed a couple pecks to the top of that foot then moved up Baekhyun's body for the lube Baekhyun had left on top of his bed frame yesterday. Baekhyun took advantage of Jongdae's position and wrapped his arms around Jongdae's waist and kissed the middle of his chest. It was a cute kiss, Jongdae's heart fluttered at it.

 

Jongdae settled back between Baekhyun's legs and covered his fingers in the lube. He hadn't really done this before, but he had seen enough of it in porn and Baekhyun could talk him through it. But, Baekhyun looked nervous.

 

“We...don't have to continue if you don't want to,” Jongdae said.

 

Baekhyun blinked then smiled. “It's kind of hard to say no when my boyfriend is naked between my legs romancing my socks off like a huge dork.”

 

Jongdae laughed. “You could still say no.”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “I don't want to, just go slow.”

 

“That was the plan.”

 

Jongdae entered his finger. The first one slid in easily. The second, he leaned forward and kissed Baekhyun sloppily, listening to all of his little puppy whines and groans and waited until Baekhyun instructed the third. He moved his fingers as Baekhyun's kisses told him to and waited until Baekhyun's moans told him he was ready and when he pushed inside him, milky legs spread wide and inviting, it was like heaven really, a warm tropical paradise.

 

“How do you feel?” Baekhyun asked. He had his arms wrapped around Jongdae's neck and was breathing hard.

 

“Like I'm in paradise.”

 

“Give me about a minute and I'll join you.”

 

Jongdae waited until he felt Baekhyun twitching around him before he began to move in slow but deep waves of thrusts making him grunt into the kisses Baekhyun pulled him into, wet and whiny. It was hot and Baekhyun's dick was bouncing and rubbing between their stomachs. When Jongdae moved faster, the friction of where they were connected mixed with just the sensation of touching and kissing and hearing Baekhyun's whines and soft whispers of how good he felt and even the smells didn't let him last long, but he kept moving, pressing more friction against Baekhyun's twitching penis until he felt a shot of wetness lubing up their stomach and a chant of his name as Baekhyun came down from his orgasm.

 

Their first time had been desperate and good, but this time was slow and Jongdae understood he didn't just like Baekhyun. The feeling had become something more than that.

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae woke to the feeling of something smashing into his chest. It took him a moment to catch his breath and sit up. He looked around his room trying to find what had hit him only to be met with glowing eyes in his doorway. Jongdae scooted closer to Baekhyun who was half wrapped around his waist and slowly shook his shoulder, mouth going dry the longer he stared into the eyes in the doorway. They were angry, they were seething, there was a deeper ferocity to them that Jongdae had never seen.

 

“Jongdae, what?” Baekhyun started and lifted his head from where he was using Jongdae's stomach as a pillow. His eyes went wide, too, when he saw those eyes and he slowly pulled the sheet over his naked body, moving slowly. He must have felt it, too, that if they moved too quickly, they would be pounced on.

 

Jongdae swallowed and moved an arm in front of Baekhyun to keep him out of site and slowly faced the figure at the door. “You...didn't call, uncle.”

 

Those eyes narrowed and Jongdae's uncle's face fumed. “Should I have to call before coming to my own home? I should call less often if this is what you do when I am not home.”

 

Jongdae's uncle never called, but he didn't bring that up when the evidence of what Jongdae had been doing in his uncle's absence was everywhere. “Uncle, please.”

 

“Please what? What am I going to do? You want to know, right? Catching you in bed with another boy, a stranger, what should I do? That isn't Kyungsoo or Zitao, who is this? Are you picking up prostitutes now?”

 

Baekhyun shifted beside Jongdae. “I'm Baek—“

 

Jongdae clasped a hand over Baekhyun's mouth. “You don't have to answer him.”

 

“Oh, but doesn't he? I could have him arrested for trespassing.”

 

“You will do no such thing,” Jongdae said and got up, pulling on a pair of jeans. “Baekhyun, get dressed.”

 

“You're leaving? After all these years of taking care of your orphaned ass, you're leaving? Good!”

 

Jongdae suddenly felt anger rise in his chest. He had been lectured a million times on the 'evil' of homosexuality, but this wasn't a lecture. He didn't have any note to back up his claim. He was angry. Nothing more. That scared Jongdae the most.

 

“Let's go,” Baekhyun said coming up behind Jongdae.

 

“Move aside, uncle, we're leaving,” he said.

 

Jongdae's uncle chuckled. “Oh now, not until you've learned your lesson. It seems all the exorcisms I've taken you on have not been successful, but maybe a good beating will.”

 

He approached Jongdae carefully, like a slinking cat and pawed at Jongdae with the force of a bear. Jongdae fell back onto his bed. He heard Baekhyun yell for him to stop, but then Jongdae caught that glowing red glint again in his uncle's eyes and he understood.

 

“Baekhyun, get out now! This isn't my uncle, not normally.”

 

His uncle would hit him, yes, but never with this much force. He was too much of a timid cowardly man to actually beat Jongdae to a pulp, but that seemed to be the intention now.

 

“Shit! Jongdae, you have to come with me,” Baekhyun said. His hand was reaching for something heavy, Jongdae could see him from behind his uncle.

 

His uncle suddenly lifted him up in the air by the collar of the t-shirt Jongdae had managed to get on along with his pants. It was choking him, his uncle's grip. No, this wasn't the strength of his uncle. “Get...Chanyeol...”

 

Before he could even finish the Lust Demon's name, he felt that hard kick to his chest and the hum in his mind returned only for his vision to become like a fish bowl and his hearing filtered. Chanyeol had taken control and Jongdae watched horrified as Chanyeol lifted his arms and wrapped his hands, glowing with a red flame, around his uncle's wrist. He barely burnt the flesh, nothing more than a sting, but his uncle shrieked and let him loose. Chanyeol rushed them past his uncle now kneeling on the floor yelling profanities at them and grabbed Baekhyun's wrist, pulling them out of the apartment.

 

Jongdae had not thought to ask Baekhyun when his uncle would be home. It seemed, as they ran in the cooling early autumn air in no particular direction, that the exorcist had forgotten as well. But, his uncle was home and he had seen them naked in Jongdae's bed. And, his uncle, the unfortunate crazy soul, had been possessed by the Wrath Demon set on catching Jongdae.

 


	15. Feelings Do Not Always Come Across Without Words

**15\. Feelings Do Not Always Come Across Without Words**

 

    There was only so many places Jongdae could thing to go and it was definitely not back to his uncle's apartment. Not only was he angry with Jongdae about his obvious homosexuality, but Jongdae had seen that red glint in his eyes. His uncle had been possessed by a demon and most likely, the Greater Wrath Demon that had started that fight in the school in hopes of getting at Jongdae. With Baekhyun around they hadn't thought the demon would get so close to Jongdae's home. That had been proven wrong with Jongdae's uncle's sudden reappearance. And now they were out on the streets with whatever they had managed to throw on when they rushed out. They were headed to Kyungsoo's which, other than Zitao's place ( and Jongdae didn't want to bring Zitao into this more than he had to especially now that he was dealing with a depressed and heart broken big brother) was the only place they could go with no money in their pockets.

 

“I should have checked when your uncle was coming back,” Baekhyun said.

 

“Did you know when he was coming back? I never do,” Jongdae said. He could see the gloom and anxiety on his boyfriend's face.

 

Baekhyun bit his lip. “I haven't checked on my mission updates in a while. There should have been a phone call, but...I...”

 

Jongdae reached out and squeezed the back of Baekhyun's neck, pulling him closer to his side by his hold. “You've been ignoring your family because of me? Don't go shucking your duties just because you got a dick to ride.”

 

With an ugly face, Baekhyun pushed Jongdae away. “That's not it. Why are you chastising me?”

 

“I'm not.” Jongdae sighed and reached out for Baekhyun's hand as they walked. “I just figured that's what you were telling yourself. I don't blame you for wanting to ignore everything and stay with me a bit longer. I would do the same for you.”

 

Baekhyun paused for a moment then a smile appeared as bright as the sun on his face and he began to swing their arms between their bodies by their joined hands as they walked. “I like you, Kim Jongdae.”

 

**Smooth.**

 

Jongdae chuckled to himself and followed Baekhyun's movements as they exited Chinatown. Then minutes later and they were on Kyungsoo's street.

 

“Wow, pretty expensive looking apartments around here,” Baekhyun said whistling.

 

“Kyungsoo's fairly well off. His parents are really good at saving money so this apartment is their pride and joy,” Jongdae explained.

 

“And they're going to let us just waltz right in and stay for x amount of days?” Baekhyun didn't seem to think people as nice as Kyungsoo's parents existed.

 

Jongdae led them into the apartment building and up to the fourth floor. “They love me and they'll love you once they know you're my boyfriend. They already know about Zitao and Yixing and assume Kyungsoo is gay, too.”

 

“Assume?” Baekhyun asked.

 

The halls of Kyungsoo's apartment complex were a mix between peach and cream with white and gold accents like those found in the halls of a western castle, though Jongdae knew that the only just normal rent placed the expensive looking decor in the off brand category. The last door on the right when they got off the elevator on the fourth floor was Kyungsoo's.

 

“Let's just say they sent me a text asking if I was Kyungsoo's boyfriend because they saw those hickeys the Charity Grace gave him.” Jongdae lifted a hand and knocked on Kyungsoo's door. “Besides, we only have to worry about that if they're even home.”

 

“Oh, but Jongdae,” Baekhyun said and Jongdae could feel him looking at him suspiciously, “why would they assume you were Kyungsoo's boyfriend?”

 

**Yeah, Jongdae, why?**

 

Chanyeol knew very well why living inside Jongdae's head. He tried to ignore the Lust Demon. “Because of how I use to bully him when we were children. It was probably part of the after effects of the High Wrath Demon They just assumed it was all because I had a child crush on him.”

 

“Did you?”

 

Jongdae looked away. “Kyungsoo sure is taking a long time to answer the door.”

 

Before Baekhyun had a chance to call Jongdae out on changing the subject, the door to Kyungsoo's apartment opened. Kyungsoo stood there looking like a grumpy eight year old in an overlong t-shirt and boxers holding the giant fluffy mama cat they had saved the other day. He glared seeing them in the doorway.

 

“What do you two want?” Kyungsoo asked.

 

“Refuge in your sanctuary,” Jongdae said. “Uncle came home early.”

 

“And he's possessed by that Wrath Demon,” Baekhyun added.

 

Kyungsoo sighed. “I'm to guess he caught you guys in the throws of passion as well?”

 

“After the throws, actually,” Jongdae corrected.

 

“Didn't need that detail, but I guess I have to let you in.” Kyungsoo moved aside, hand stroking the long fur of the mama cat.

 

Inside, Kyungsoo's apartment appeared more modern by comparison to the decor of the building. Everything was in shade of blacks and gray with not a speck of white about. Jongdae had always thought the dark color scheme of the Do's had chosen for their residence a bit weird and wondered if it had influenced Kyungsoo's mind. Jongdae immediately headed to Kyungsoo's room where black was strewn everywhere and felt himself be pulled toward a box in the corner of the room where little mewls could be heard. In the box were seven kittens, five white, one black and one appearing as if wearing a tuxedo, all little squirming fluff balls. Kyungsoo came up and dropped the mama cat in the box and the kittens mewled louder, wiggling their tiny bodies towards her.

 

“Aww, how cute,” Baekhyun said and reached in to scratch the ear of the black kitten, Zitao's fluff ball.

 

“Definitely cuter than you,” Kyungsoo said.

 

“Can't really disagree with you on that one,” Jongdae said and received a nudge from his boyfriend. The smallest of the white kittens was sucking on his finger.

 

“Well, my brother's at his college dorm right now, so you guys can do what you want in his room. My parents are on a business trip until Monday, so call them, don't call them, I don't care, but I'm going to need you to help me feed the babies in exchange. Tinkerbell doesn't have much milk.”

 

 **Tinkerbell?** Chanyeol was giggling and Jongdae found it addicting.

 

“You named your cat Tinkerbell?” Jongdae asked.

 

Kyungsoo blushed and threw two tiny bottle at Jongdae. “It was Junmyeon's suggestion.”

 

Baekhyun picked one of the bottles up and began cooing at it. “Aaaawww. Look at how cute these are. I want to help.”

 

“You need to put demon traps in my house,” Kyungsoo said. “I'm not letting one of these cats get possessed. Then you can feed Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. They're the runts.”

 

Chanyeol snickered more and Jongdae covered his mouth, speaking through his fingers. “Did you name all the cats?”

 

“Zitao's is worse,” Kyungsoo defended. “Mr. Popo.”

 

Jongdae finally just burst out laughing.

 

**✞**

 

Baekhyun enjoyed the company of Kyungsoo's kittens to the point that Jongdae was beginning to wonder if he had lost his boyfriend to them. It was absolutely adorable watching Baekhyun snuggle the little barely opened eyed faces of the rat sized felines and coo over them, but they had been at Kyungsoo's for three days now and Jongdae could count on one hand how many times that they had even kissed. He was frustrated and beginning to stress out about all of this. His uncle had called Kyungsoo as Jongdae had managed to leave his cellphone in his room back at the apartment. Kyungsoo hadn't answered, but let Jongdae listen to the voicemail. There was still that tinge of raspiness that indicated his uncle was still under the influence of the Greater Wrath demon. Jongdae was beginning to feel bad for his uncle. He couldn't let the man who had taken care of him (taken care used very leniently) since he was a child. At the very least, he had given him a place to stay. And Jongdae knew what it felt like to have a demon inside you. Chanyeol wasn't so bad, it was almost enjoyable if he wasn't always on the verge of a headache. However, Chanyeol wasn't Jongdae's first. Those thoughts of anger and hate he had towards his family as a child, he had never understood them. Perhaps it was easier not to fight them when he was still too young to understand, but knowing you shouldn't feel that way as an adult, knowing you have never felt that way before and yet still acting on such feelings must be frustrating. At least, Jongdae hoped his uncle didn't completely hate him just because he was gay. It was these thoughts that made Jongdae truly long for Baekhyun's warmth. He found it surprising how he relied so much on someone he had only known for a few months with the easing of his troubled thoughts. He really did adore Byun Baekhyun.

 

**Love sick sap.**

 

Jongdae sighed. It wasn't like Chanyeol didn't know of love.

 

**I do, but that's why I called you that. Just go up to him and demand cuddles. Or even sex, that's better. I can sit outside the door this time. I could really use the energy.**

 

Jongdae made a face. Kyungsoo had said they could do whatever they wanted as long as it was in his brother's room where he and Baekhyun were staying, but Jongdae had met Kyungsoo's brother and the thought of messing up his bed scared Jongdae a bit.

 

**The shower then. I promise to keep a better eye out for you guys. Last time I was too far away to know when you had finished or to really notice your uncle coming. I barely managed to get to you before he did.**

 

Jongdae sighed. He wasn't really in the mood for sex. Well, if Baekhyun stripped down and presented himself that might change, but he didn't want to start anything. He just wanted kisses and some hand holding.

 

There was the vibration of a growl of frustration in Jongdae's head. I need you two to have sex again.

 

Need? Was Chanyeol commanding him? What for?

 

**I need the energy if I'm going to soak up this dead demon inside of you.**

Soak up? What was Chanyeol talking about.

 

“You look confused. Are you talking with Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked walking over to Jongdae with Tinkerbell, the mama cat, in his arms purring and rubbing against the fading hickeys Jongdae had marked Baekhyun with the last time they had sex.

 

“Yeah, but he's being weird. He's trying to demand we have sex.”

 

Baekhyun let the cat down on the counter Jongdae was leaning against. It lightly pawed its way over to Jongdae and rubbed its face against his arm eagerly, tail raised. Jongdae had found the cat's behavior a little off putting around him. He figured its enthusiastic attraction to him was because of the Lust Demon he housed. Jongdae reached out and scratched its ears.

 

“I don't mind having sex again, but I don't really want to if it's because Chanyeol demands it.”

 

That was exactly how Jongdae felt.

 

**I'm not demanding that you have sex, it's just a good idea. I mean, maybe I should have just asked to follow Kyungsoo when he left to visit that Charity Grace. They're probably going at it like rabbits. Or, what about your ninja friend? He's probably with the blessed guy right now, right? They seem to do it a lot. Not Luhan and Jongin though, I can't feed off a demon and a grace.**

 

Chanyeol sounded like one thirty Lust Demon.

 

“What is he saying?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“That we should go spy on my friends while they're having sex. I didn't know he could feed off other people having sex.”

 

**If I'm in a human form, I can. But, you would have to stay close so I could return to you as soon as I collected the energy.**

 

“He sounds really thirsty,” Baekhyun pointed out. “He's planning something.”

 

“He said something about needing energy to absorb those demon ashes inside of me.”

 

Baekhyun's face hardened. “Tell him to explain or I'll torture him.”

 

**He can't do anything to me while I’m in you.**

“He says I'm a shield.”

 

“Yes, but Sehun doesn't have a shield.”

 

Jongdae could feel Chanyeol deflate.

 

 **Fine. Baekhyun's probably planning to exorcise the demon while it's in your uncle. However, just sending him back isn't going to work. I don't exactly know what spell he was planning, a talk with Sehun could probably cover that, but I know as long as there are High Wrath Demon ashes inside you, Jongdae, you're not safe. I can't do much with these ashes because I'm not a Wrath Demon, but I can absorb them. They'll negate. That's the only thing I know about demon ashes. Baekhyun has planned on sending me back since the beginning. I'll take the ashes with me. They'll burn in my flames. However, I need Sehun's amount of strength to do this. I also need to double check with Sehun that it will wor** k.

 

Jongdae relayed the information the best he could to Baekhyun. All this demon stuff was still a bit difficult to understand.

 

Baekhyun nodded. “That might work, but it seems I'll need to give Sehun a call. Also, Kyungsoo should just bring his grace over here for a while, I know Junmyeon had leave that fountain long enough to have a few rounds with his cute human boyfriend in a proper bed. We'll need to let Chanyeol feed I suppose.”

 

Jongdae nodded. “What will happen after? I mean if this all works out.”

 

“Well, you should feel a heck of a lot lighter I suspect. I don't know much about demon ashes, but I'll make some calls to my family finally I suppose. I've got to feed Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask right now.”

 

Baekhyun turned to head back to the kittens in Kyungsoo's bedroom, but Jongdae reached out and took his hand.

 

“Baekhyun, wait.”

 

“What is it?” Baekhyun asked and turned back to him.

 

Jongdae smiled and leaned in stealing a kiss. “I just wanted a kiss. And later...can we cuddle or something?”

 

Baekhyun laughed and returned the kiss. “Yeah, but I might have to share your lap with that cat.”

 

Jongdae looked down to see Tinkerbell climbing up his leg, long needle nails digging into his jeans and skin. “Shit, cat, you have a litter of babies, how can you be in heat again already! Get off me!”

 

**✞**

  


Sehun came two days later after Jongdae and Baekhyun finally decided school was safe enough for them to return. Jongdae had been bombarded by the teachers as it seemed his uncle had been asking where he was and to send him home. A runaway child. It must have been the demon's influence because Jongdae's uncle had never worried about where Jongdae disappeared to before, never even realized he was gone half the time. That had been what got Jongdae in this mess in the first place. Luckily, they had Teacher Lu on their side and he was able to cover for Baekhyun and he after a quick talk about their plan for getting rid of the Greater Wrath Demon, Changmin, and the High Demon's ashes still inside of Jongdae. Jongin relaid their plan and a message to Sehun. After two days, Jongdae was more than happy when Sehun stood in Kyungsoo's apartment entrance doorway looking every bit as snobby as when they first met. The two days it took him to come over had been filled with Chanyeol's nervous humming. It was starting to drive him crazy.

 

**I'm not nervous.**

 

The chattering reverberations of Chanyeol's voice in his head wasn't convincing.

 

The Pride Demon stood tall in a pressed shirt and clean white pants with his head tilted just slightly up so he wasn't looking at anyone in particular, but Jongdae noticed the glances thrown his way. Kyungsoo stood with the front door opened glaring at Sehun with Tinkerbell hissing quietly on Kyungsoo's shoulder. Baekhyun leaned against Jongdae's arm, holding it tight between his pretty long fingered hand. Other than the cat's hissing, the apartment was all very silent.

 

“Took you long enough,” Baekhyun said breaking the quiet that had entered with Sehun. “Thought I was going to have to summon you. That would have been painful.”

 

“Yes, it would have,” Sehun agreed. “I had some research to do.”

 

“And?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“It can be done,” Sehun said. “What Chanyeol plans, it can be done. There aren't many High Demons around these days, so it was hard to find a source for the information I needed, but I eventually found it. The properties of a demon's ashes are like vitamins. They enhance a demon's power and with a High Demon's ashes, that power can enhance you a whole level up on the demon scale. Demon Lords are the highest, they never come to this realm. You would have to summon them on top of a nuclear explosion to get one here. High Demons just need a lot of blood, they're the second from the Demon Lords. Then Greater Demons. Then Mid-class like me. Then the Lower class which comes in three tiers, these are the ones that can come through without any gates opening. They can just slip right through any spirit cracks they find. Chanyeol's first class low demon. He's the last class of demon that can take human form given enough energy.”

 

“So why isn't that Wrath Demon in human form?” Jongdae asked. “Why is he possessing my uncle?”

 

“The Gluttony Demon and I both came from the same gate, We zapped quite a bit of his energy. Also, it's to conserve the power needed for the conversion of the ashes to him just like what Chanyeol's doing.”

 

“So, basically what we had already figured is what's happening. This Wrath Demon seems more like a Greed Demon to me wanting more power.”

 

Sehun shrugged. “Just because he's a Wrath Demon doesn't mean he can't feel greed. The same goes for all of us and the Graces. Like the Chastity Grace at your school, they can feel lust and we can feel kindness.”

 

“Can you feel love?” Jongdae asked.

 

Sehun looked at him confused for a moment then nodded. “Yes.”

 

“Well, if that's all,” Kyungsoo started, going to shut the door on Sehun. “I'd rather not have two demons in my house. Junmyeon gets jealous enough when I smell like a Lust Demon...actually, he kind of is okay with the Lust Demon.”

 

Baekhyun laughed. “Of course he is.”

 

Sehun held a hand out to prevent the door from closing. “I have a request if I may. I would like to speak with Chanyeol. I am aware he can't come out because of the energy conserving, but if his host would allow...could I speak with him?”

 

Jongdae frowned and looked over to Baekhyun. The exorcist rolled his eyes, but shrugged.

 

**I will have to take over, Jongdae. You may end up privy to this conversation, but I would rather the words come from me directly.**

 

Jongdae sighed. Well, maybe this would be the last time and the way Sehun's head was lowering almost like a sad puppy's each second that past that they didn't say yes made him believe they needed this talk quite badly. The one before when Chanyeol was in his own body must have been more of a fight. He nodded and tried not to grimace when he felt the shift of control switch to Chanyeol.

 

“Perhaps the hall?” Sehun asked.

 

“Kyungsoo's bedroom,” Baekhyun said. “Walk straight and you shouldn't get caught by any traps.”

 

Jongdae watched as his body moved with the Pride Demon following after. Chanyeol moved to the box of kittens and scooped one up handing it to Sehun.

 

“They're soft,” Chanyeol said.

 

“They are,” Sehun agreed. He petted the kitten with one hand then reached out and took Chanyeol's. Jongdae grimaced and Chanyeol quickly pulled his hand away.

 

“Perhaps we shouldn't touch. This isn't my body,” Chanyeol reminded.

 

“I apologize.” Sehun returned the kitten to the box and stood across the room. “I am having a hard time not being able to touch you knowing you're here, Chanyeol.”

 

“If that were true, then you shouldn't have ran away from me in the first place,” Chanyeol said.

 

Lovers. Jongdae had realized the obvious some time ago and felt he shouldn't be listening in on this conversation now.

 

“It was an impulse, Chanyeol,” Sehun explained.

 

Jongdae could feel a sudden flash of anger like a fire burning too close to his skin. “Sleeping with me was an impulse?”

 

“Not at all,” Sehun corrected. “I didn't explain myself well last time. I made it seem like you were overacting and I'm sorry. It was duty that had me following after Changmin, but I accepted because I was scared. I admit that now. We were friends when we met here in the human realm and then we grew to lovers when we met again in the other world. I had felt it was sudden..”

 

“I don’t think it was sudden. I always thought you were good looking and admirable,” Chanyeol said. “You seemed quite excited about it when I confessed. I am a Lust Demon, but you were my first. And you were gone before the next toll of the Demon Lords’ Tower.”

 

“I'm a Pride Demon, Chanyeol. You are lower than I, but I should not have cared. I do not care. I did not care when I took you into my arms neither did I care once I saw you again. It was only that in between time that I let my nature better me. I love you, Chanyeol, as much as two demons can love.”

 

“Is it not a mistaken form of lust you speak of?”

 

Sehun sighed. “If you were not in this boy's body, I would lay down your tall soft frame and love you properly, Chanyeol, with a soft breeze fueling the warmth of your flames even if you’re a lower class than I. Your heart and mind are valuable things to me. I worry, though. When you take in those ashes, they won't negate like we thought, Chanyeol. You will be as I am. Can you handle that?”

 

“Why wouldn't I be able to? I don't have a need to lust all over the demon realm if you're willing to love me properly.”

 

“You will not have the freedom to return so easily. These human friends and the graces and Sloth Demon at school, you may never see them again.”

 

Chanyeol sighed. Jongdae sighed with him. “I should never had known them to begin with. I only wished to know one thing. I came here to retrieve you, Sehun. Will you return with me?”

 

Sehun was quiet for a moment then a smile Jongdae would have never known the Pride Demon possessed spread on his face. “I will return within the following month.”

 

“Sehun,” Chanyeol began to growl.

 

“If you want us to be lovers then trust I will return. I would have returned before to you even if I had initially left to escape. I promise you, Chanyeol, I will return.”

 

Jongdae could feel the apprehension in Chanyeol, but he swallowed it down and replied. “I promise not to chase after you again, Sehun.”

 


	16. Not Speaking Doesn't Indicate a Lack of Knowledge

**16\. Not Speaking Doesn't Indicate a Lack of Knowledge**

 

    The school called a conference with Jongdae and his uncle when Jongdae had not gone home for a full week. Teacher Lu would be one of the teachers hosting the conference along with Jongdae's homeroom teacher. Baekhyun had been contacted as well about one, but since his 'official' guardians could not be contacted, there was not much his uncle could do legally. The plan was to attack the Greater Wrath Demon then. Jongdae couldn't fathom his uncle coming to a teacher-parent conference on his own, nor complaining enough for one to be held simply because Jongdae and his uncle had not come face to face in a week's time. Jongdae had once ran off to Kyungsoo's for two weeks and never saw his uncle's face. They would do it at the school where their marks had faded after the students had left and his possessed uncle arrived – the allotted time for the conference. Jongdae didn't know much more. Teacher Lu said he would deal with the other teacher and Baekhyun was having a meeting with an exorcist cousin he came in contact with that was passing through and was sure wouldn't rat him out right away that he could learn more about the circles he would need for the double exorcism. Kyungsoo had tailed Sehun with Junmyeon at Baekhyun's request while he gathered information on the spell that would help Chanyeol absorb the ashes of the dead High Wrath Demon inside Jongdae. And while they were all busy doing that, they had left Jongdae and Chanyeol with Yixing.

 

It was one day before the plan would commence.

 

“So, the dark haired boy is your boyfriend?” Yixing asked as he crushed herbs in a bowl at the cahsier desk, Jongdae sitting beside him with his phone out, pouting at a picture of Baekhyun he had snapped making kissy faces at the kitten he had become attached to and Kyungsoo was willing to hand over.

 

**Love sick sap.**

 

Jongdae didn't think Chanyeol was any different than he where Sehun was concerned. “Yeah. Was Zitao the one that told you?”

 

“He thought you guys were cute together, so he's been rambling about it since you made him knowledgeable of it.

 

“He's an exorcist,” Jongdae added.

 

“Heard that from Zitao before I even heard you two were dating,” Yixing said. “Thank him for helping Yifan for me. I quite enjoyed his class.”

 

“Where's Zitao anyways?”

 

“With his brother,” Yixing answered. His hands worked slowly in his little grinding bowl, the crushing of whatever plant he was using making the air around the register smell fresh and clean. “They are having bonding time, something I think they need. I insisted when I heard you were getting dropped off here, thought you might appreciate him not bombarding you with questions of your visit. He can be a bit jealous.”

 

“You're worth being jealous over,” Jongdae said and was pleased when Yixing blushed just slightly. “He bombards me with questions everyday at lunch, though. Recently it's been about my dating life.”

 

Yixing laughed, a dimple showing deep in his cheek. “He does ask a lot of stuff. Curious guy, but I like it.”

 

“Curious in bed, too, I suspect.”

 

Yixing winked. “It's pretty cute.”

 

Jongdae laughed and went back to looking at his phone. Baekhyun had left Jongdae at Yixing's counter with only a kiss to his cheek before prancing through the aisles of Yixing's store making circles everywhere to ensure Jongdae's safety before Baekhyun left for his quick lesson. He found he wasn't satisfied with cheek kisses.

 

“I bet you have some curiosity in bed, too.”

 

“Oh, well...” Jongdae started. He could feel his face getting warm. He had managed to avoid Zitao's sexual questions, but it was hard not to answer Yixing when his voice was so soft and urging. “It's only been a few times, so...”

 

Yixing reached out and ran his fingers through Jongdae's hair. “I'm sure he's worth each precious time.”

 

He was. Being possessed was worth the chance to meet Baekhyun. At least for now it was and Jongdae hoped that wouldn't change.

 

“What made you want to date him?” Yixing asked.

 

“He's true,” Jongdae said. “Am I suppose to have a list of reasons for this kind of question? I kind of just do.”

 

“That's a good enough reason,” Yixing assured. “But, the way he left was interesting.”

 

“He had some exorcism stuff to deal with,” Jongdae said.

 

“And those circles were some kind of charm?”

 

“Yeah,” Jongdae said. He glanced at Yixing confused where the elder was going. He wasn't usually the type to pry.

 

“Overprotective much,” Yixing teased. “Couldn't possibly be something to do with you, could it?”

 

“What do you mean?” Jongdae felt a bit antsy with that soft knowing look on Yixing's face.

 

“Your uncle paid my shop a visit this week, a couple times. He seemed not quite himself.”

 

Jongdae stood and reached out for Yixing's hands, flipping them back and forth. “Are you alright?”

 

Yixing laughed softly and took both of Jongdae's hands in his. “I felt a presence, yes, but I am fine. And I didn't tell him where you were. I appeared an ignorant angel.”

 

“Thank you,” he said. “Are you really okay though?” Jongdae remembered Baekhyun mentioning Yixing being blessed by a Kindness Grace. He wondered if one blessed was resistant to being possessed just like Baekhyun was.

 

Yes they are. It's good for Yixing. I believe that's why Baekhyun didn't bother putting demon traps in this place until he planned to leave you here.

 

“I'm sorry you had to deal with that,” Jongdae said. “My uncle has been having a bit of a demon problem since he returned home.”

 

“And you have had one since when? Summer break?” Yixing asked. “I can feel that presence, too. I'm very sensitive to this stuff, that's why Zitao feels safe with me, I can tell him if there's a real ghost about or not.”

 

Jongdae frowned. “I don't know what to say.”

 

“I just hope that you won't bring Zitao any grief with this.”

 

“Zitao doesn't know about our demons, he just thinks I Ran away from home because my uncle caught Baekhyun and I.”

 

“I think Zitao suspects far more than you believe.”

 

“I have not told him any of this, neither do I plan to. We hope it will be over soon,” Jongdae assured.

 

Yixing nodded. “That is fine, but you will tell him after. He will be hurt, but it is best he knows at some point. Don't involve him, though. He's the strongest, but I doubt he can help with what you're doing.”

 

Jongdae bowed his head. “I understand.”

 

Yixing spread his smashed spices out on a napkin. “Would you get some saffron from the aisle? I think I would like to make a soap with it and this one I just crushed.”

 

Jongdae ducked under the counter and headed for the aisle where the spice was sold. He grabbed a fair amount of it and headed back. Yixing had brought his tea set out from the back room and offered Jongdae a cup of what he had been brewing in it.

 

“It's chamomile. It will rest your nerves about these demons.”

 

Jongdae took it gratefully and sipped slowly, watching Yixing continue to work. The front doorbell rang and customers walked in, browsing.

 

**It's truly nice in here. We should stay the night, but you probably want Baekhyun's arms as a blanket instead.**

 

Chanyeol was right, but Jongdae closed his eyes and sighed deeply. It wasn't so bad to wait here a while.

 

The customers came and went and Jongdae was startled out of his calm reverie by a gentle hand petting through his hair.

 

“Jongdae, be careful as well. I would be unsettled to see you in the hospital again so soon.”

 

 **This is going to use a lot of your energy, too** , Chanyeol reminded him.

 

Jongdae leaned into Yixing's hand. “That's a definite possibility.”

 

**✞**

 

Baekhyun's lap was like a firm pillow. Jongdae enjoyed that he got the privilege of using it during school breaks as those long fingers combed through his hair even if Zitao was poking his cheek because Jongdae was too comfortable to respond to his silly question. He just wanted a few minutes of peace before they were run out of the classroom by the teacher now that school was over and the preparations for the attack were to begin.

 

“Come on, Jongdae. Answer me. Do you want to go on a double date with Yixing and I this weekend?” Zitao asked.

 

A double date did seem like it would be interesting, but Jongdae wasn't certain if he would be physically capable of going anywhere this weekend. “Stop poking me and I'll think about it. I don't know what we're doing this weekend.”

 

Zitao turned his attention to Baekhyun sitting on top of Jongdae's desk. “Baekhyun~~~, please? I have always wanted to try a double date with you guys, but you never had boyfriends before, and Kyungsoo still hasn't introduced me to his.”

 

“That's probably because he's dating an old man,” Baekhyun joked only for Kyungsoo to slap his knee fairly close to where Jongdae's nose was.

 

“Make fun of him and I won't help you with that homework tonight,” Kyungsoo warned.

 

Jongdae kicked out at Kyungsoo's chair and pouted at him. They did need Kyungsoo's help, but they needed Zitao to leave soon.

 

“I don't care if he's forty years old, I just want to go on a double date!” Zitao whined.

 

“He's not that old,” Kyungsoo said.

 

**No, he's older. Probably a couple hundred. Grace's don't age naturally, though he will probably appear to age while he stays with Kyungsoo.**

 

Jongdae frowned at that thought. Did demons and graces not have a natural death?

 

**No we don't. That's why the ashes of a dead high level demon is such a big deal. You're basically absorbing another life. Though, the personality isn't really left behind. Sehun explained this the other day. What you have inside of you is just the energy, the matter of a demon, not the demon himself. Matter can not be created or destroyed, but a persona is not matter, so what you have is spiritual matter.**

 

Jongdae remembered the quick overview Sehun gave last night while they all huddled in the backroom of Yixing's shop after he had gave Chanyeol the rundown of the spell. He found himself occasionally wondering if Chanyeol had indeed only come up to this world to find Sehun or if he had had plans for the ashes as well.

**I do not need them, I have no interest in more power, Jongdae, you know that. I was a love-sickened heartbroken fool.**

 

Jongdae thought Chanyeol was still that minus the heartbroken since Sehun seemed to still have an interest in his Lust Demon lover. But, he was beginning to feel glad for Chanyeol's presence. Without him, Jongdae wasn't sure what would have happened when the Greater Wrath Demon found him.

 

He would not have taken into consideration your health when he performed the spell. I will absorb the ashes then leave you. After that, Baekhyun will perform the double exorcism. I should have enough strength to last a few minutes in my own body before I have to recoup with the new energy.

 

Jongdae understood. There was a very small window here and only a few more hours before they'd have to climb through.

 

**I’ll...miss you, Jongdae.**

 

Jongdae was surprised by the almost tearful sound of Chanyeol's voice. Could a demon cry? Could a voice in your head cry?

 

**I will miss all of you. I did not have many friends in the other world and I won't be able to come back and visit you guys unless someone opens a portal for me. I would advise you do not. There is always Jongin, but he won't come down since his relationship with the Chastity Grace is looked down upon. But, with a higher level to my name, I should be able to find favor in people now.**

 

Didn't Sehun have friends? Sehun had promised he would follow Chanyeol back within the week. He felt Chanyeol laugh.

 

**How do you think Sehun and I became acquainted? Neither of us have friends. Do not worry about us. I want to promise you something, though. As a thank you for helping me find Sehun when you didn't have to, when you could have just begged Baekhyun to send me back. I want to promise that I will find a way back if you are ever in trouble again, Jongdae.**

Jongdae hoped that wouldn't be needed, but he smiled at the thought. A guardian demon.

 

**Something like that. Do you mind being guarded by lust?**

 

Better than being bait for wrath, Jongdae thought. He placed a hand on Baekhyun's knee and squeezed. At least he could actually use lust.

 

Chanyeol laughed. **Please kiss him a lot before your conference. You guys didn't get to do much last night and you might be knocked out for a couple of days.**

 

Jongdae rolled his eyes. He didn't need reminding of that possibility.

 

“How about we go bowling again instead,” Zitao asked. He had been rambling about wanting to do things after school.

 

“I have a teacher conference,” Jongdae reminded.

 

“Yeah, but Baekhyun and Kyungsoo don't.”

 

“Homework, and Baekhyun probably wants to wait for Jongdae,” Kyungsoo said. “Don't you have any plans with Yixing?”

 

Zitao crossed his arms. “You guys were all at his place yesterday.”

 

“You're jealous of your boyfriend for having your friends at his shop?” Baekhyun asked. His fingers were now curling Jongdae's hair around his finger tips. “Thought you'd be jealous of us.”

 

“Well, Yixing's nice. I know you guys like him a lot. I'm just afraid you'll like him more than me.”

 

Kyungsoo suddenly threw a sweet bread at Zitao's face. “We have always liked him more than you.”

 

Zitao pouted, but opened the bread anyways. “You guys are mean.”

 

“Just go to your boyfriend already. I hear you're a curious lover.”

 

Zitao blushed and stood. “Fine~ I'll go have sex while you guys are having fun doing homework and getting yelled at by the teacher.” He headed for the door, but stopped and turned to Jongdae. “Oh, don't get in too much trouble. I would hate for you to have to go to France with your aunt just because you finally lost your virginity.”

 

Jongdae waved Zitao off. He hadn't thought about the possibility of being sent away.

 

**✞**

 

Sitting beside his uncle in the small meeting room his homeroom teacher had set up had Jongdae scratching at that part of his mind where Chanyeol was in an attempt to escape. He wished he could fall asleep like Chanyeol did and they could switch places, but that only seemed to work if Jongdae was already asleep. He didn't want to deal with these questions the teacher was throwing at him. Teacher Lu wasn't helping much, but he was probably just as much on edge sitting on the edge of the desk his homeroom teacher was at trying not to make it obvious he was watching Jongdae's possessed uncle and indeed he was possessed. Jongdae had seen the red glint in his uncle's eye when he entered the room. The rest of the building had been cleared of mark except for the one room Baekhyun waited in with Sehun a couple halls over. There were other marks in case of an emergency spread about, like the one at the door Luhan had to manually activate and the one with Junmyeon and Kyungsoo out by the school fountain. Jongdae just had to get through these questions then agitate his uncle enough after the conference was concluded (or before if need be) to get him to chase. Then Jongdae had to run.

 

“Jongdae, your uncle was very gracious to take you in after you parents accident. You owe him a lot. Can you not show him proper gratitude and return home,” his homeroom teacher asked.

 

They had gone over reasons that Jongdae had left. His uncle, under the influence of wrath, had angrily spouted them all out and called Jongdae many names and hinted at Jongdae's sexuality. It hurt. He hated that he had to listen to this because he knew these feelings were his uncle's to some degree. He had always knew, but wrath brought them out twice as much. He remembered his own feelings of loneliness and anger at his brother who didn't care for him and his parents that were never there. That was how it appeared to a child so young.

 

“I'm afraid for my life,” Jongdae answered. “Why should I go back to a place where I might never wake up again at.”

 

His homeroom teacher sighed. “He is your family. Why would he kill you?”

 

“He reads a lot of religious literature and who knows what they say about homosexuality. He takes them seriously for as long as he's studying them. What if one of them says you can cure homosexuality by ripping out the person's heart and drenching it in holy water then sewing it back in?”

 

“That is ridiculous. This is a stage you're going through, all teenagers do, but you need to be grateful for the roof over your head.”

 

“I can't share a roof with a demon.”

 

His uncle flashed red eyes at him.

 

Jongdae, careful, Chanyeol warned.

 

Teacher Lu finally spoke up. “I do not believe a student's sexuality is mandated by the school. Whether he is or not is not the problem here, but that one of our students do not feel safe going home is. His uncle has a record of leaving for extended periods of time as it is and as long as the student's grades and extracurricular are not suffering, I see no point in pursuing this matter further. We would not be here so late if the uncle himself did not complain.”

 

Jongdae's uncle suddenly stood. “What if he's caught out selling himself. Or dealing drugs! Homosexuality will lead to that. One sin after another.”

 

“Prostitution and drugs are a matter under the school. If he is caught doing such things, then we can take action, more than likely the board would simply expel him. However, it has not come to that, nor do we even have proof that his sexuality is as you fear. At this point in time, I am more wary of you, sir. You may talk to your nephew about these matters privately. Other than two days missing from the roster, this matter has not effected his school life.”

 

“I have to agree with Teacher Lu,” said Jongdae's homeroom teacher. “I do not agree with what you are accusing your nephew of, but this is not the school's jurisdiction.” The teacher stood and turned to Jongdae. “I would advice you reevaluate your ideals and return to your uncle's home, and if there are signs of abuse, then we will consider moving you.”

 

Bull shit. Jongdae agreed. He felt his own wrath at these words. He had always tried to keep from bringing these topics up in school. Maybe he would go to France if Baekhyun would go with him. The exorcist had already graduated three times from high school.

 

“As for the other boy in this matter, we have yet to get a hold of his parents, but he is in our highest level class and is excelling without much effort. We do not see him as a threat to your son's school career. We shall adjourn this here.”

 

His uncle growled and reached out for Jongdae. Jongdae quickly sidestepped and looked at his possessed uncle.

 

“You need to come home with me, boy.”

 

“No,” Jongdae said and backed up towards the door.

 

“Please, Mr. Kim. This is not the appropriate place for such a confrontation.”

 

“It's the perfect place. His friends are outside and they'll help him escape.”

 

Jongdae's eyes widened. He knew about Kyungsoo and Junmyeon at the fountain.

 

“Please, sir,” Jongdae's homeroom teacher began, but his uncle whirled, red eyes flashing and the lights in the room started to flicker.

 

“I don't have time to waste on you people,” the Greater Wrath Demon growled. He reached out for Jongdae again, but Jongdae slipped beneath his arm and began to run.

 

“I'll rip that puny little Lust Demon out of you!” the Wrath Demon yelled from behind them, lights flickering down the hall now and Jongdae was beginning to find it hard to see. It was night already. Without the lights, the inner hallways where they had made their plans set were hard to see. He wondered if the demon could even do that.

 

**He can. How else would he be able to take the ashes from you with me still inside? I'm not strong enough to keep a body when there's a higher demon who wants it.**

 

Jongdae ran faster. He finally found the room, after pausing a few times to make sure his uncle was still chasing him, and sprinted inside. The farthest circle in the home economics room he had initially been confronted by Baekhyun in was where they had placed the circles required for Chanyeol's spells. He jumped on one of the counters and almost slipped when he jumped to the next one in an attempt to avoid stepping in the other circles that littered the floor. He would be trapped if he did and they needed the Wrath Demon paralyzed before Baekhyun and Sehun could enter the room.

 

**There, the one glowing orange, Chanyeol indicated.**

 

Jongdae could see it. He remembered letting Chanyeol take over and draw it a few hours before their meeting, before the rest of the room had been littered with Baekhyun's spells. It was a complicated circle that had taken them a whole hour to do with a bunch of smaller circles placed closer around it, big enough that Chanyeol wouldn't be able to jump across them when he left Jongdae's body. Baekhyun still didn't trust Chanyeol not to escape especially now that they were aware of his relationship with Sehun. Jongdae wouldn't have minded if the two demon lovers ran off together, but he supposed pride and lust weren't exactly emotions you wanted running rampant in South Korea or wherever they decided to go. It was Baekhyun's job to send them back.

 

Jongdae felt searing pain, like the heat of a flame too close to his skin when he entered the circle and fire flared up on the lines of the circle. His uncle entered the room and took a step back, but Jongdae held out a hand and suddenly the world was like a fish bowl again and Chanyeol was in control. The room flared up in those flames that did not hurt, yet the Wrath Demon controlling his uncle seemed positively scared by them. He jumped back and suddenly the room was filled by lighted connected circles sparking with electricity.

 

Lust flames hurt if you're a spirit. Unless you're having sex with a Lust Demon, then they feel nice and warm.. Ask Sehun.

 

Jongdae rather not, but he appreciated the humor. His uncle was screaming trying to move from the spot he was captured. The sparks were intermingling with Chanyeol's flames and Jongdae couldn't have been more relieved to see Baekhyun enter the room, Sehun standing in the doorway unable to enter more than that with all the marks spread everywhere.

 

“You!” his uncle growled seeing Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun waved with a free hand, his other hand carrying salt and other products for Chanyeol's spell. “Did you know I was an exorcist Mr. Greater Wrath Demon?”

 

The demon growled and for a second, Jongdae could see his true form. A tall person with horns and a tail and Jongdae didn't remember seeing such things from Chanyeol or Xiumin and was Sehun even in his real form or were those just human facades.

 

“I'm sorry I'm a few seconds late. Luhan had some trouble with your homeroom teacher,” Baekhyun said and spread around the stuff where it went before handing Chanyeol a string of beads in black with weird symbols written on them. “It was very hard finding demon beads, you know.”

 

“Thank you,” Chanyeol said. “Jongdae's also happy to see you.”

 

Baekhyun smiled at him. And stepped away, getting his own beads out and holding his hands out towards the Wrath Demon.

 

This was it. Jongdae wasn't sure how much this would hurt. He could still feel his skin though he wasn't in control of it. He closed his eyes, the fish bowl of his vision disappearing as he readied himself.

 

Chanyeol began to chant.

 

“What is he doing?” the Wrath Demon screamed. “Those ashes are worth more than a lowly grade up for a 1st class worm like him.”

 

Jongdae could feel Chanyeol tense, but he continued.

 

The Wrath Demon roared and the lights in the room flickered then suddenly busted. Jongdae opened his eyes in time to see the glass of the large lights shatter around them and his heart stopped seeing Baekhyun suddenly fall to the floor. He wanted to stop and go to him, but Chanyeol only winced as little specks of the glass pricked his skin. He allowed Jongdae to watch, though, as Baekhyun stood up from the floor and pulled a large piece of glass from his hand. Blood flowed from the deep cut, but he only smeared it along his beads and went back into position.

 

Baekhyun. Baekhyun.

 

There was a building inside Jongdae's chest. It felt like his heart was being electrocuted. And, for a second, he thought he felt his heart stop. Then, like a wave, anger overtook him. He wanted to rip himself apart, but he wasn't in control. It felt like an eternity before the anger subsided and a new heat arose. He could hear Sehun coaxing from the doorway, reminding Chanyeol here and there the words of the spell when his words began to slow down. The warmth was just as unbearable, but good. An eager warmth that he both wanted to continue and wanted to end. The warmth he felt when making love to Baekhyun.

 

Making love. He wanted to love Baekhyun.

 

Jongdae's body suddenly fell to the ground. He felt wet, probably covered in sweat, and tired, oh so tired. His body was sore and he could barely keep his eyes opened to look around him. He saw Chanyeol. He saw Chanyeol. The Chanyeol he had seen a couple times before was indeed only a human facade. This Chanyeol stood tall and clothed in only his own fire. There were long swirling horns coming from his head, large wings that were both feathery and made of fire, and a tattoo on his arm, a tattoo Sehun had explained would change when Chanyeol was upgraded, but Jongdae had never seen his original markings. His eyes were a honey pink as they turned to Jongdae and smiled softly.

 

In the distance Jongdae could hear the thump of another body and the roar of a beast. He could hear Baekhyun muttering his spell and closed his eyes as light blinded the room. The Wrath Demon was gone. They had needed him to see Chanyeol absorb the ashes. They couldn't have him coming back for Jongdae later. And they sent him off first. Jongdae took a deep breath in relief, though he couldn't do much more than that.

 

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun said softly. He knelt beside Jongdae and stroked his face softly with his bloodied hand. “It's time to say goodbye to Chanyeol. He can't stay without a body for too long.”

 

Jongdae suddenly felt sad. He managed to move his head to get a better view of Chanyeol. The Lust Demon was beautiful. And, he hadn't seemed much like a demon at all as he housed himself in Jongdae's mind. He managed a smile.

 

Chanyeol had his eyes set on someone across the room, probably Sehun, before he turned to Jongdae feeling his eyes and smiled once again. Baekhyun pointed his bead covered hands at Chanyeol, light beginning to fill the room again. Chanyeol threw the demon beads toward Jongdae and waved a black talon hand as his body slowly began to fade away.

 

Jongdae would somehow miss that second presence in his mind, he thought as his vision faded with Chanyeol.

 


	17. Annoying Does Not Mean They Won't Be Missed

**17\. Annoying Does Not Mean They Won't Be Missed**

 

    Jongdae felt depressed with the familiarity of the white walls and blinding lights of the hospital room. It wasn't the same hospital room, Jongdae didn't think he had ever been in the same hospital period, but they were all the same. He stared up at the blinding light on the ceiling and tried to recall when he had been brought here. There was a vague memory of being pulled into an ambulance and then nothing. The last thing he truly remembered was the fading figure of Chanyeol. Jongdae closed his eyes and concentrated. There was an emptiness in the back of his mind, like a messy room left abandoned, but there was also a lightness to his soul.

 

Jongdae tried to remember his childhood. He remembered disappointment on Christmas when he didn't get the toy he had seen on television, or when he asked for his favorite meal, but they were out of ingredients for it. He remembered not carving angrily into doors or cutting wires because of it. Not until the demon appeared in the mirror. He remembered feeling different after that, and now...now Jongdae felt sorry. He hadn't meant to start the fire that killed his family. The demon had made him do it, took advantage of a young child who kept their feelings bottled up inside and made him explode in the worse of ways. He understood that was what happened now. He couldn't blame his child self for being weak. That demon was dead. Had been for years though his ashes remained in Jongdae. The other Wrath Demon was gone, too.

 

Chanyeol was gone.

 

Jongdae lifted a hand and rubbed at his temple. There was a bandage around his head. He could feel it just above where his hand was touching, soft gauze putting pressure against his lightly pounding head. He looked around the room with eyes that hadn't quite adjusted. There were two other beds there with him. One was empty, but the one farthest from him had another figure in a hospital gown sleeping silently, no monitors hooking him up other than the usual IV. Jongdae was surprised to note it was his uncle. He was still young, barely reaching forty. He had been in his mid-twenties when Jongdae had come to live with him. He probably hadn't wanted children so young. All he cared about was research, research,and more research. But, he was a handsome man. Jongdae thought it was about time his uncle married. He probably could find a girl easily if that's what he was into, he just had to stop being such a religion fanatic, or at least pick one and stay with it. If Jongdae's aunt in France wasn't almost fifty, Jongdae may have entertained the thought of them marrying, but his aunt had been married once and had a child from what Jongdae remembered. It hadn't turned out well. Jongdae wasn't sure if his uncle wanted children. With all the trouble Jongdae had brought, Jongdae wondered if he had ruined his uncle's opinion of them. His wife might, though, and that would mean Jongdae would have to move out of the apartment above the Chinese restaurant.

 

“Uncle,” Jongdae called softly.

 

The man suddenly sat up and blinked around, eyes landing on Jongdae after a second. “You're awake finally? You usually don't wake up the next day when you're sent to the hospital.”

 

Jongdae chuckled a bit and pushed himself up. His body ached, but overall he felt alright. “Well, when your spiritual energy has been attacked along with your physical and mental energy, it's pretty tiring. I think Chanyeol took most of the damage this time, though.”

 

“Chanyeol?” his uncle asked.

 

Jongdae frowned. Did his uncle not remember any of this. “Do you remember what happened, uncle?”

 

His uncle turned away, red coming to his face as if embarrassed by the possibility of what had happened. “Demons aren't...real.”

 

“Uncle, they are. I'm sorry you were possessed...it's my fault.”

 

His uncle turned angry eyes on Jongdae. “What dark magic have you been dabbling in for this to be your fault. I was a good man of faith. I shouldn't have been possessed.”

 

Jongdae sighed. “You were studying scientology and I don't think that protects you from being possessed. They're not religious figures, Uncle. It's complicated, but that fire...the one that killed Mom and Dad and my brother...”

 

“A demon did that?” His uncle had a brow raised as if he couldn't believe it.

 

“He was responsible for it. But, basically he died and left something in me and another demon came to take it away.”

 

“This Chanyeol did?”

 

Jongdae shook his head. “No, Chanyeol's a good demon.”

 

“How can there be such a thing as a good demon.”

 

“Chanyeol was just a little Lust Demon. He didn't mean any harm,” Jongdae said. “He's gone now, though, they both are.”

 

“Lust demon, was that why you were with that boy?”

 

That boy. “No, I was with Baekhyun because I love him.”

 

His uncle's face grew sour. “How can you love a boy? He’s an exorcist, right?”

 

“The real deal. Met him on that vacation we took. He's a good guy and good looking, what else do I need. I don't have an interest in reproducing, and if you don't get married soon, uncle, you won't be able to at all.”

 

Jongdae's uncle looked surprised at his words.

 

Jongdae sighed. “I know you don't approve and you think I'm being disrespectful. That demon might have made you say things in a way you didn't mean, but he had some grounds for it. However, could you let me stay just until I graduate high school? I won't bring Baekhyun to the apartment anymore, he was just staying there because of the demon issue. You will hardly even see me. Please don't send me to France. I can't even speak English better yet French.”

 

His uncle adjusted something on his IV. “I don't plan to send you to France. Your aunt won't take you, she's too busy. You'll have to stay with me until you're an adult, I won't be accused of throwing a child out on the streets.”

 

Relief rushed through Jongdae and he looked around the room again only coming back to his uncle when the man stood up.

 

“I have to head back to my own room now.”

 

“You're not in here?” Jongdae asked.

 

“I was awake when we got to the hospital believe it or not. I forced your...the exorcist to go to school. It's more important than being a good...whatever you two are. He made me promise I'd watch until you woke up.”

 

Jongdae smiled. “You stayed here with me?”

 

“Since he did get rid of the demon, I figured I owed him one.”

 

Jongdae leaned back and smoothed out his blankets. “Baekhyun's already graduated three times. He doesn't need to go to school.”

 

“Well if that's the case, he'll probably be back shortly. I will go tell the doctors you're awake.”

 

Jongdae smiled to himself as he listened to his uncle leave. The smile faded when he realized how silent the room became. Everything was so silent.

 

His head was silent.

 

**✞**

 

It was a few hours before anyone else came to visit him other than a nurse who just asked him sweetly how he felt then checked his IV. Jongdae looked up at the sound of feet entering his room and immediately frowned seeing the sharp jawline and tall frame of Sehun leaning against the doorway.

 

“Don't look so put down. You have only been out for a day and you're already so eager to see that exorcist? He's downstairs getting food. He's been following me around ever since your uncle kicked him out,” Sehun said and pushed away from the doorway and went up to the television that Jongdae had been mindlessly watching. “This is on dramas, were you watching them?”

 

Jongdae shook his head. “Change it if you want.”

 

The room was quiet other than the flickering from the television as Sehun flipped between channels. He didn't seem much different than any other time Jongdae had put his eyes on the Pride Demon. Maybe that was just part of being a Pride Demon, always keeping your airs about you, but Jongdae had seen him shake a bit when confronting Chanyeol. It bothered Jongdae that Sehun didn't have that same shaking right now. Chanyeol was gone.

 

“Ah, there we go, soccer,” Sehun said and took a step back then turned and smiled at Jongdae. His smile faltered when Jongdae only stared at him with furrowed brows.

 

“Sehun, you know that Chanyeol's not here, right?”

 

The Pride Demon sighed and reached a hand up to his hair, running his fingers through it. “I am more aware of that fact than you believe me to be. The heat of his flames are not present in this room. As a Lust Demon's lover, you become more sensitive to that.”

 

“You still consider yourself his lover?” Jongdae asked. Chanyeol had seemed to almost doubt Sehun would come along after.

 

Sehun's eyes widened for a second then he smiled and approached Jongdae's bed. “Yes, am I not? I ran away once, but I don't have an excuse to run away again and if I do, Chanyeol will not chase me. You probably think he doubts me, but how could he love me if he doubts me? He just won't chase me and I appreciate that.”

 

“So, will you go back to him?” Jongdae asked. He felt, with everything Chanyeol had to go through living in Jongdae's mind, he deserved some happiness. He only came to this world to find Sehun and if Sehun didn't go back, what was the point of absorbing those ashes?

 

“Yes,” Sehun responded quickly. “Whether the spell did work and he has grown another level or not, I will go back to him. Had that Greater Demon not broken through, I would have eventually turned back around. I promise you I mean all of this.”

 

Jongdae shook his head. “It's not me you need to promise things to. I have a boyfriend.”

 

“So do I,” Sehun said and reached out to pat Jongdae's foot.

 

Jongdae wiggled his foot in response. “I'm a bit jealous, honestly. If Baekhyun wasn't my main squeeze, I might consider looking into how a human and demon could love. That demon form was really something.” He grinned at Sehun.

 

Sehun chuckled. “All our demon forms are really something.” And, for a second, Jongdae could see Sehun's – wind swept hair, long creamy horns that pointed downwards, eyes that flashed yellow and of course naked white porcelain skin and Sehun didn't have the flames to cover it.

 

“Oh, and what is going on in here?” a voice called from the door.

 

Jongdae turned away from Sehun and smiled seeing Baekhyun carrying a tray of little treats. “Baekhyun.”

 

“I'm just flirting with your boyfriend, exorcist,” Sehun said and patted Jongdae's foot again before turning to the door. “There will be no need to bother tailing me, I plan to return tonight, you can ask Jongin if it's true. I would rather not experience the pain of an exorcist’s return.”

 

Jongdae frowned. “Is it painful?”

 

Sehun stopped at the door and gave them both a soft smile. “Thank you for being Chanyeol's friend and helping him find me. I need to get going if I want to be there when Chanyeol wakes up. He'll need lots of training if he's leveled up.”

 

Friends? Jongdae watched Sehun leave then turned to Baekhyun. Were they Chanyeol's friends?

 

Baekhyun placed the tray on the little side table the nurse had provided for Jongdae's breakfast that morning that he hadn't touched having been asleep then sat neatly by Jongdae on the bed. “You're missing Chanyeol aren't you?”

 

Jongdae sighed and blinked his eyes. “It's weird. I wondered if I felt like crying when the Wrath Demon died inside me.”

 

“I doubt it because he was still there. You can cry if you want, but I can't let Chanyeol or Sehun come back. If they do, I can only give you a few days with them before sending them back. They're not like Luhan and Jongin.”

 

Jongdae nodded. “I know. They belong where they belong. They can love each other just fine there. Jongin can't love Teacher Lu in the other world and they'd probably just run away if they thought you would try.”

 

Baekhyun reached out. “There are good demons, Jongdae, and we met a few of them. I wouldn't risk what happened to that High Wrath Demon to happen to Chanyeol. A demon’s or grace’s death is not pretty”

 

Jongdae nodded. An exorcist had killed the High Wrath Demon inside him and left so many scars. Jongdae might have gone crazy had they did the same to Chanyeol. He was glad it was Baekhyun he had met that night and that had followed him and not one of his more radical family members. Jongdae frowned though feeling Baekhyun's hand come to rest on his. If felt scratchy and he looked down to see it wrapped in gauze.

 

“Your hand,” Jongdae said and reached down to take it. He remembered seeing a piece of the light bulbs in the home economics' room piercing his hand deep. He lifted Baekhyun's hand and kissed the bandage then each long white beautiful finger.

 

“It was just a small wound. They didn't even find any glass. The doctors were more worried about you and your uncle.”

 

“But I worry about you,” Jongdae said and pressed Baekhyun's hand to his face.

 

Baekhyun patted it. “I'm fine. Luhan covered up for us. The other teacher seemed to believe everything he said. There was an electrical fault in the system in that wing of the school and they've closed down for two days in order to inspect it. We're lucky the Wrath Demon didn't start a fire with those sparks. Chanyeol's fire wouldn't have hurt a single thing he didn't want them to.”

 

Jongdae nodded. “I figured it was something like that. Oh, my uncle is allowing me to stay until I graduate.”

 

Baekhyun suddenly pulled his hand away and shifted on the bed. “That's good. Kyungsoo said something about he may ship you off to France with another relative.”

 

“You can't stay with me anymore, though. I promised he would barely know I was there. Maybe Kyungsoo would let you—”

 

Jongdae was cut off by Baekhyun's hand pressing fingers against his lips. “I can't stay, Jongdae. I have to go back.”

 

With a frown, Jongdae grabbed Baekhyun's hand and pulled it away from his mouth. “We're not breaking up.”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, no, we're not breaking up. This is going to have to be a long distance thing until you graduate.”

 

“It's not that long, just a couple hours. I'll get a driver's license, I'll get an unlimited bus pass.”

 

Baekhyun grinned. “You'll have to call before you come visiting. I'll come see you when I'm close to Seoul on a mission.”

 

“Baekhyun,” Jongdae said. His voice had dropped to a soft coo knowing that Baekhyun didn't mean for them to break up and he carefully laced his hand with Baekhyun's bandaged one. He lifted his eyes to peer straight into Baekhyun’s and smiled. “I love you.”

 

Baekhyun's eyes widened for a moment before his ears turned red and he looked down shyly, chuckling to himself. He squeezed Jongdae's hand and finally met his eyes again. “Yeah, I love you, too.”

 

Jongdae tugged Baekhyun closer, lifted his other hand to lay on the back of Baekhyun's neck, and kissed him.

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae spent his lunch break with his head in his arms flopped over his desk. He had stayed in the hospital for two days and spent another day hanging around Kyungsoo's house with Baekhyun. Then Baekhyun left. He was having a harder time than he thought he would knowing his talkative boyfriend wouldn't be popping by every break to lend his lap as a pillow. The long distance was going to be harder than he thought and there was going to be many nights spent in the shower with his hand, or worse, curled up on his bed staring at the kissy face picture of Baekhyun he had as his phone background. At least he knew for sure he'd get to see the exorcist in a few weeks when either he went to deliver the cat Kyungsoo had promised or Baekhyun came to pick it up.

 

“Kim Jongdae, I swear if you keep moping about like this I won't give you your kimchi spaghetti,” Kyungsoo said.

 

Jongdae just reached out his hands toward where his friend's voice came from and let his face smoosh against his desk instead. It hurt, but he didn't feel like lifting it up.

 

Kyungsoo reluctantly dropped the box in Jongdae's hands and pulled his own desk chair closer to Jongdae. “You're sappier than I thought you would be when in a relationship. I'm glad I never listened to my parents and dated you.”

 

Interest suddenly peaked, Jongdae lifted his head a bit to raise a brow at Kyungsoo. “Your parents wanted you to date me? And dating a Grace was a better idea?”

 

Kyungsoo gave him a pointed look. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

 

A Grace was basically the embodiment of a good trait. It was stupid of him to ask. He shrugged.

 

“Hey, what are you guys doing in the classroom?” Zitao called to them from the door then entered. “I thought with Baekhyun getting dragged back to his home town, you two would be eating lunch in the music room.”

 

Jongdae and Kyungsoo both made a face at that thought. Teacher Lu had started keeping all the practice rooms locked so there was only the main music room to go to and though the other club members might not know why, they did. Jongin was going to change schools in fear Baekhyun's family might come after him and that way it wouldn't be weird if he was found together with Teacher Lu since it seemed Jongdae's homeroom teacher had taken an interest in Luhan’s life. However, they were going to get in as much kinky student/teacher sex as possible before then it seemed.

 

“The music room is for Teacher Lu and Kim Jongin to have private time now,” Jongdae said. Letting Zitao in on this was a start in letting him in on all that had happened. He would be mad, but Jongdae felt better having him not become attach to any of this as it was going on with his brother's problems and all. There had been talk that Teacher Wu was quitting. Zitao said he had gotten modeling offers and wanted to focus on his personal art in between gigs. Jongdae thought that suited Wu Yifan better.

 

Zitao gasped. “They're sleeping together?”

 

Kyungsoo covered his mouth. “Keep it quiet. I'll tell you how we know when you meet Junmyeon.”

 

Zitao's eyes widened with glee. “I get to meet your boyfriend?” he asked, voice muffled by Kyungsoo's hand.

 

Kyungsoo removed his hand in disgust and wiped it on his jeans. “Yes, but he's a bit tired right now, so in a couple weeks. I'll also give you Mr. Popo around that time, alright?”

 

Zitao smiled like a child on Christmas day. “A kitten and your boyfriend, I can't wait.”

 

Jongdae chuckled then frowned and slowly opened the container Kyungsoo had gave him filled with his lunch. There was too much in it. He usually shared with Baekhyun.

 

“If only Baekhyun had gotten to stay,” Zitao rambled on. “Too bad his family said they needed him back home, I liked him.”

 

“You guys fought all the time,” Kyungsoo corrected.

 

“Yeah, and you choked him the most, doesn't mean you don't miss him.”

 

Jongdae could feel their eyes on him and sighed. He dug into the spaghetti and stuffed a big wad in his mouth. Talking about the exorcist was just going to make Jongdae miss him more.

 

“S-sorry,” Zitao said. “I had a hard time when I realized I wasn't going to see Yixing much after he graduated.”

 

Jongdae just nodded then jumped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to check the caller and wiped his mouth. “Excuse me,” he said and rushed past Kyungsoo and Zitao into the mostly empty hall, students outside or in the lunchroom during lunch in the early fall weather. He pressed the phone to his ear and let out a sigh. “Hello?”

 

“Jongdae?” the voice was excited and a bit whiny.

 

A slow smile spread across Jongdae's face and he leaned against one of the hall walls. “Hi Baekhyun.”


	18. Fear Does Not Negate Strength

**18\. Fear Does Not Negate Strength**

 

    Baekhyun's grandmother's house was a large estate hidden behind scrubby bushes and trees so that it appeared as only one small cottage home up high on one of Yanggun's many mountains. Jongdae knew this already so the long strong arms suddenly wrapping about him as he took off his shoes when they entered the house were expected.

 

“It's like that blue phone box from the English television show,” Zitao said in awe.

 

Jongdae chuckled and pushed his friend off. Zitao turned and clung to a wonder eyed Yixing. It had been the elder boy's suggestion to visit Baekhyun at his grandmother's home during their short winter break after hearing Jongdae talk so much about it. Jongdae had visited his exorcist of a boyfriend twice since he had left back for his home town. Baekhyun had visited him more often than that staying at a hotel or visiting Kyungsoo and Zitao and never leaving. They had a favorite love hotel close to Jongdae's uncle's apartment, too.

 

“Don't get overexcited, Zitao,” Kyungsoo warned coming up behind them. It was hard to say no to Yixing especially with Zitao willing to use whatever means possible to make sure his boyfriend got what he wanted, so Kyungsoo had been bullied into coming with them. It wasn't like he could splash naked in Junmyeon's fountain all winter break.

 

“It's kind of like a dojo,” Zitao said. “Baekhyun said this was where the exorcists come to get trained, right?”

 

Jongdae nodded. “Please do try and keep it down, Baekhyun's grandmother doesn't particularly care for loud noise that have nothing to do with training. Right now it's just her and him and a worker that cleans up the rooms they don't use.” Speaking of Baekhyun, Jongdae wondered where his boyfriend was. He had unlocked the gate for them when Jongdae called to tell him they were on their way, but he hadn't seen Baekhyun waiting outside nor was he in the doorway. Just then, he saw a rolling ball of fluff move across the floor in the entrance and heard feet quickly padding after it.

 

“Bad December. You're not allowed to wander around the house until you learn to hunt mice,” Baekhyun said appearing before them and scooping the ball of white fluff, the kitten Kyungsoo had promised him from Tinkerbell's litter, into his arms. Baekhyun turned and his eyes widened seeing Jongdae and his friends in the doorway before a bright smile lit up his face. “You guys are here already. I thought I had another ten minutes before you finally made it up the hill.”

 

Jongdae smiled back. He couldn't help it. He pointed at Zitao and Yixing. “Those two have a lot of energy when they want something.”

 

Baekhyun laughed and held the kitten close to his face to free up one arm. He reached out and hugged the two boyfriends then a reluctant Kyungsoo. When it came to Jongdae, there was red tipping his ears and he bit his lip. It was always awkward at first when they met again in front of people. When they met alone, Jongdae could easily just catch a jumping Baekhyun in his arms, but it would be a little much to start kissing away at each other right then. Jongdae instead wrapped first one arm around Baekhyun's waist and then used his other to pull him by the hip to him. Their foreheads touched as he leaned in as if to get a better look at the kitten. He pressed his nose in the kitten’s fur, letting it paw at his hair then let his nose graze Baekhyun’s neck as he lifted back up, eyes meeting his boyfriend adoringly.

 

“Hi, Jongdae,” Baekhyun whispered.

 

“Hey,” Jongdae said back. Baekhyun’s eyes glittered at him. He loved when they did that. He loved when they were so full of love for him.

 

“Can I hold the baby?” Zitao asked breaking up their moment. “I didn't bring Mr. Popo with me.”

 

Baekhyun pulled away with a sigh and handed the kitten over to let the other two boyfriends coo over the little animal.

 

“Are you guys just going to stand in the foyer all day? There's a very handsome blond gentleman here already,” called a voice from the next room and an older lady somewhere in her late seventies appeared peeking around the corner.

 

Kyungsoo perked up and immediately pushed past them all, his bags still clinging to his shoulders as he made his way to wherever the Charity Grace had ended up. Junmyeon had agreed to relocate for the time they spent at Baekhyun's grandmother's, but not wanting to use up energy, he had to travel by the water system to get there. They followed after Kyungsoo and ended up in the kitchen where a small spread of simple snacks were placed on a table for them to treat themselves to.

 

“My, I never knew there could be so many gay boys in one place,” she commented as she brought out drinks dressed in traditional work clothes.

 

The first time Jongdae had visited (after much begging to his uncle) he and Baekhyun had both been surprised by her acceptance of their relationship. Not that she thought homosexuality was real, but that she just didn't seem to care who Baekhyun slept with. After all, surrogate mothers were always a thing and she did expect a child from her grandson. Jongdae didn't mind having a kid eventually. It was still too early for that though. But, Baekhyun had seemed so very shocked by the acceptance. Perhaps it had only seemed like not such a big deal because Baekhyun had proven himself to be a very good exorcist having sent not only a Greater Wrath Demon back to the other world, but a newly upgraded Lust Demon and all his research had led to a greater understanding of demon spells.

 

“Now the rules. Jongdae already knows them, but I’ll repeat them for your friends: you are to try and keep your hands to yourself as much as possible while in my house. The very least you can do is make sure you're not all kissy face in front of me, I would rather not throw up. Except for Mr. Blond Grace man over there, he can get naked if he wants.”

 

The Charity Grace reddened and tightened his hold on Kyungsoo. It seemed he had been flirted up on by Baekhyun's single grandmother a lot since he'd appeared.

 

Jongdae laughed, and as he did so long pretty fingers slide between his own.

 

**✞**

 

“So, they didn't bother changing the paint?” Jongdae asked as they stood in front of the witch's house he had first met Baekhyun and Chanyeol in. It had since been turned into an actual haunted house, but they left the pink paint on the outside.

 

“Stayed with the motif of fading blood. It's kind of the tradition,” Baekhyun said.

 

“Blood fades brown, though,” Kyungsoo added with a board look, about the only thing you could really see of his face with the layers upon layers Junmyeon had bundled him up in when they had left that afternoon to go check out the haunted house. Junmyeon had not been able to come since there would be no way he could follow along with Kyungsoo inside so instead they had left him in Baekhyun's grandmother's house to the mercy of her flirtations.

 

There was a scream from the house, high pitched and calling for their mother in Chinese. The three of them outside with soft snowflakes falling on their faces burst out in laughter. Upon arrival, they had split up into two groups, a shaking Zitao clinging to an otherwise preoccupied Yixing and then Jongdae and Baekhyun with Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo had said he would rather not be there when Zitao shit his pants in fear. He might accidentally kick him in the face trying to pull out some wushu moves and Yixing would be too clueless to prevent his boyfriend from doing so even though it would be incredibly funny to watch. They had flipped a coin to see which team would go first and Zitao had been unlucky enough to be chosen.

 

“It can't possibly be that scary,” Baekhyun said when he heard another scream followed by a short one from Yixing.

 

“Zitao scares easy,” Jongdae explained and moved closer to Baekhyun. He knew his boyfriend who dealt with demons everyday wasn't so good with things like ghosts or monsters either.

 

Zitao was a trembling mess with large watery eyes that looked as if they could still see the horrors of the haunted house. Yixing followed after him lightly patting his boyfriend's back, cheeks a little blushed, but otherwise smiling, the scare probably a bit fun for him.

 

“Thought you said you wanted beef after this if you didn't scream?” Baekhyun teased.

 

“I didn't think a pink haunted house would be scary,” Zitao mumbled and turned to bury his face in Yixing's neck.

 

“Well, it's our turn,” Jongdae said and hooked his arm with Baekhyun's then turned to Kyungsoo holding out his other arm. “Ready to go?”

 

Kyungsoo ignored his arm and pushed ahead of both of them. “Let's do this quickly.”

 

Inside, the haunted house wasn't that bad. Jongdae somehow ended up in front when Kyungsoo had initially been leading them with Baekhyun shuffling closer and closer to him, hands now clamped on the back of Jongdae's jacket. A ghost worker popped up and Kyungsoo let out a low echoing shout of surprise backing away. Baekhyun whined and hid his face in Jongdae's back telling it to go away. Jongdae just bowed and led them past the worker.

 

“That wasn't too bad, right?”

 

Another worker popped out not far from the first.

 

The third scare had them being chased. Jongdae walked leisurely with Baekhyun urging him to go faster as the worker growled behind them. Kyungsoo had ran ahead. Jongdae bowed to the worker and started calling out to Kyungsoo. When his friend didn't call back, Jongdae frowned.

 

“I think Kyungsoo ditched us,” Jongdae said. “I should have pegged him for the type to ditch everyone in a horror movie.”

 

“Jongdae, please, I don't want to be here anymore,” Baekhyun said.

 

Jongdae maneuvered his arms and pulled Baekhyun into them. “It's not that bad is it?”

 

“I don't like things grabbing my ankle and one of these is going to be a thing grabbing my ankle soon I know it. Then I'm going to start cussing.”

 

“Don't start cussing. There are better things you can do with your mouth,” Jongdae said and carefully started backing Baekhyun up against one of the house's walls.

 

“Like what?”

 

“Well, since Kyungsoo's not here,” Jongdae said and leaned in. It was dark, but Jongdae could still feel where Baekhyun's lips were and he kissed them softly until he felt Baekhyun slowly easing into the kiss, hands coming up to clasp at the soft fur of Jongdae's coat, tongues moving out to meet each other. It was cold in the haunted house, but the longer they kissed, the hotter it got.

 

“Oh my lord! Kim Jongdae get me out of here!” Baekhyun screamed and clung to him.

 

Jongdae winced feeling a sting on his lip where Baekhyun bit him surprised by the sudden appearance of a screaming lady who had probably become impatient waiting for the guests she knew were coming and went looking for them.

 

“Alright, alright, calm down.” He laced their fingers together and walked quickly through the next two scares, one of which was indeed a hand grabbing at their ankles and he almost had to carry Baekhyun. At least he wasn't quite as bad as Zitao who Jongdae had bullied into a haunted house in middle school and regretted it when Zitao had burst into sobs and then started kicking out at anything that approached them.

 

Baekhyun hurried over to where Kyungsoo stood looking curiously at the exit of the haunted house and clung them him tiredly. “Why did you leave uuuuuuussssss?”

 

“Because Jongdae was going too slow,” Kyungsoo said and pushed Baekhyun off from him.

 

“Baekhyun screams loud, too,” Zitao pointed out.

 

“Not as loud as you.” Baekhyun stuck his tongue out at Zitao.

 

Jongdae pulled a napkin out of his pocket and began dabbing at his lip.

 

“What happened to you?” Kyungsoo asked. “Did you get in a fight with one of the workers for scaring Baekhyun or something? It did take you guys longer than I thought to get out here.”

 

“Baekhyun did it,” Jongdae said. That was all the answer really needed.

 

**✞**

 

Jongdae hummed to himself as he made his way with a towel over oneshoulder to the bathroom. It was late. They had gone to karaoke after the haunted house something Baekhyun had never done before but had beat them all at singing far into the later hours and they had all tumbled into Baekhyun's grandmother's house giggling and doing their best to be quiet yet they still got yelled at not only by Baekhyun's grandmother, but the Charity Grace who seemed so done with the old lady's flirting and just wanted Kyungsoo back in his arms. They had a 'room' in the guest bathroom so he could sleep beside Junmyeon and Yixing and Zitao were in the guest bedroom. Jongdae, of course, shared Baekhyun's bedroom which he had been annoyed to find lacked anything personal the first time he visited. Perhaps that was because Baekhyun, more often than not, was out on a mission. He carried a backpack and that was it. Except now he had December and the little gifts Jongdae liked to give him.

 

After another hour of playing between those three rooms with his friends, Jongdae was feeling a bit sweaty. Baekhyun's bathroom was at the end of the hall from his bedroom. Jongdae slowly opened the door only to stop in his tracks upon seeing the white expanse of skin before him.

 

“B-Baekhyun,” he squeaked.

 

Baekhyun flushed bent over as he tugged the ends of his skinny jeans from his feet. “Jongdae...you didn't knock.”

 

“I...You said you were going to talk to your grandmother,” Jongdae said trying hard not to let his eyes roam all over Baekhyun's mostly naked body. They hadn't gotten around to having sex since Jongdae had arrived. The two times he had come before, they had found time to, but Jongdae felt weird doing it knowing an old lady and all their friends were in the house, well not all, but Chanyeol had almost been like a voyeur on their first time, it wasn’t something Jongdae could have helped.

 

Jongdae still missed Chanyeol. There was a cavity in his soul and no matter how much filling time put into it, Jongdae didn't think it would ever heal.

 

“I did, but then I decided to take a bath,” Baekhyun answered.

 

“Oh, well I was...” Jongdae trailed off and waved the towel at Baekhyun.

 

Slowly, a sly smile spread on Baekhyun's face. “Then maybe we should just take one together.”

 

Jongdae grinned back. It was the middle of the night. Baekhyun's grandmother was probably asleep and they were alone together finally. He moved into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

 

Baekhyun finished getting undressed, all white skinned with a few bruises and marks from his more brutal and recent run ins with demons. They made Jongdae a bit sad, but they were a lot lighter than bruises from sports might be. He pulled his shirt off and dropped his pants and slid in the shower after Baekhyun. It was a shower big enough for three people, tiled in an expensive looking mosaic with the water pouring from the top and crinkled glass sliding doors. Baekhyun was already soaping himself up and Jongdae reached out, moving the soap on Baekhyun's arms down his back, pressing his hands into the white skin. Baekhyun moaned.

 

“It's been a while,” Baekhyun said softly and leaned back a little.

 

“It has,” Jongdae agreed and moved his hands to wrap around Baekhyun's hips then held his waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other. He started to press kisses along Baekhyun's neck.

 

Baekhyun let out a soft sigh. “You're going to start this now, are you?”

 

Jongdae kept his hands very still, put pushed his body harder against Baekhyun's, his member growing hot with his teenage boy eagerness. “Isn't that why you suggested we take a shower together?”

 

“Hmm, maybe,” Baekhyun said and turned his head.

 

Jongdae's kisses moved to Baekhyun's lips and he kisses him hotly trying to get back what they had started in the haunted house. Baekhyun's whole body then turned and pressed up against Jongdae's. Their organs slipped together. Slippery wet friction filled Jongdae's ears and he moved his hands to Baekhyun's bottom, squeezing. They were the perfect height for each other, no craning necks or getting on tip toes. Baekhyun still had the better physique with hips Jongdae loved to take a hold of as they made love, but Jongdae had began to form muscle in his free time. His uncle seemed to approve of it.

 

“Jongdae.” Baekhyun's voice was breathless when he spoke. His arms had wound their way around Jongdae's neck and he was clinging and blushed. “Tell me something you've always wanted me to do.”

 

Jongdae chuckled. “I think we've done a lot without falling into kinks. I don't think a shower is a place for kinks.”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “I agree. I know I mentioned you can get an orgasm being jacked off by an exorcist's purifying light, but this isn't the place for that. Just something small.”

 

They were in a shower. Jongdae remembered the first time he jacked off to Baekhyun had also been in the shower with Chanyeol's prompting.

 

“Will you suck me off?”

 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun easily agreed. It wasn't the first time, but the first time in a shower.

 

Baekhyun kissed along Jongdae's sharp jawline then down his neck. He kissed down his shoulder and his chest, taking a break to lick at one of Jongdae's tiny dark nipples. Jongdae was a shivering mess by the time Baekhyun actually got to his pulsing member. He only kissed it once before moving away. Jongdae looked down to see Baekhyun glistening with shower water, dark hair falling wet into his eyes. The way he was sitting on the shower floor reminded Jongdae of a dog waiting to be told it's okay. He reached out for Baekhyun's hair, pet it down. Baekhyun placed a hand on Jongdae’s hip and leaned in. Baekhyun's small lips weren't pillows on his member, but he knew how to use his tongue. He lapped and sucked and took Jongdae far down his throat, whining the whole time, whining like a dog and it was better than Jongdae had imagined it in his head. He rocked his hips slowly when he got close to his release and Baekhyun pulled off before Jongdae could cum, eyes closed. He finished Jongdae off by simply licking his tip and let him cum on his face. Jongdae leaned down and wiped his cum from places where it might run into his boyfriend's eyes then pulled Baekhyun back up with kisses.

 

“Thank you,” Jongdae said between kisses.

 

Baekhyun only smiled at began stroking Jongdae.

 

While he was getting hard again, Jongdae prepared Baekhyun. He grabbed the gel they had hid in Baekhyun's shower the first time Jongdae had visited and coated his fingers in it. He reached around Baekhyun's body as they continued to kiss and pressed a finger in. He was quick with his work, the slipperiness caused by the shower water helping ease in more and he could feel Baekhyun humping his hip when he finally pulled three fingers out.

 

“Mnh, Jongdae,” Baekhyun moaned and stopped stroking Jongdae.

 

Jongdae kissed the exorcist hard then turned him around and pressed him hard against the mosaic wall. The cold tiles probably felt good on Baekhyun's heated body as he let out a moan. Jongdae took a step away to lube his dick up and Baekhyun leaned down, arching his pretty white back, long pretty fingers splayed on the tile wall, and spread his legs showing his hole glistening with the lube and shower water.

 

“Hurry up, the water will get cold soon,” Baekhyun whined.

 

Jongdae patted Baekhyun's tailbone. “There there puppy, I’m coming.” He pushed himself against Baekhyun's crack.

 

“Is that some kind of new nickname?” Baekhyun asked and he shuffled back a bit to get Jongdae closer to his hole.

 

“It can be.”

 

Baekhyun whined. “Don't tease me.”

 

Slowly, Jongdae entered.

 

As always, Baekhyun was hot inside to the point Jongdae felt like melting. He shifted his hips and began to move as slow as he could, as slow as Baekhyun would let him with his little moans and annoyed pants of Jongdae's name. Jongdae sped up after a while, the wet slapping between their hips ringing in his ears. It was disgusting but also terribly sexy. He watched himself move in and out of his boyfriend for a while then bent over him, going in farther and kissed at Baekhyun's shoulder until Baekhyun turned his face and they could kiss properly with opened mouths and more tongue than lips. Baekhyun pulled away first when his body began to shake on the edge of cumming. Jongdae nuzzled his nose in Baekhyun's hair and began snapping his hips hard.

 

“I love you,” he groaned.

 

Baekhyun whimpered out something that was probably an 'I love you, too', but he was on the edge of cumming. The wet splash of Baekhyun's cum squirting against the splash of the water collecting on the shower floor met Jongdae's ears and he chuckled into Baekhyun's hair.

 

“I didn't hear you.”

 

He could feel the heat of Baekhyun's embarrassment, but when he turned his head to look at Jongdae, there was just a shining light of misty heat and adoration that pierced Jongdae's soul.

 

“I love you, too,” Baekhyun repeated.

  
Jongdae continued to move while pressing smiling heart fluttering kisses against Baekhyun's turned face until, hard and deep, he finally came.

 


End file.
